The Journey Home
by The Smiling Onigiri
Summary: It's been four years since Tohru graduated high school. Yuki's away at college, Kyo's working at the dojo, and Tohru's... what? YukiTohru or KyoTohru? Read to find out! Chapter 16 up (finally)!
1. Oh my oh my

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya (I hope I spelled that right!).

**A/N**: Well I've been reading a LOT of Fruits Basket fan fiction lately, and this story started to swirl around in my mind. I couldn't get rid of it, it was taking up my every waking hour! I thought the best way to give myself some peace was to write it, so that's what I'm doing. This is the first fanfic I've ever written, so don't expect too much. ^_^ I should warn that while I did my best, the characters are all probably OOC, partly because the story takes place when Tohru's about 21-22 so everyone has grown up, and partly because when writing I have control over them. *evil laughter* I had trouble coming up with titles for the story and the chapter, "The Journey Home" and "Oh my... oh my..." popped into my head, so I used those. If you can think of something better, feel free to suggest it. ^_^

**Warning**: As mentioned above, there will be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you. 

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 1: Oh my... oh my...

*~*~*~*~*

Tohru stood in the bathroom of the apartment she shared with Hana looking at a small piece of plastic that was resting on the counter. 'Oh my... oh my... oh my' she thought over and over again as her eyes grew wide with shock. Feeling her legs grow weak she lowered herself to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. She sat that way for a long while, not even feeling the cold of the tile floor as it seeped its way into her bones. 

Eventually Tohru came back to her senses, shivered, stood up, and hurled the offending item into the nearby trash can, as if that would make everything ok. 'I should be happy', she thought to herself, 'haven't I always wanted this? So why do I feel so... scared?' She took a deep breath and walked to her bedroom on slightly unsteady legs, torn between being glad that Hana was away for the week and needing to talk to her good friend.

Tohru decided that some air would do her good, even though it was still early in the morning and quite chilly for early fall. She quickly dressed and was about to leave the apartment when a wave of nausea hit her. She stepped back and put a hand to her mouth, waiting to see if it would pass. It didn't. She ran to the bathroom thinking to herself 'why did I bother eating breakfast?'

Ten minutes later she finally stood outside the apartment building, reveling in the feel of the cool air on her cheeks. She started walking with no particular destination in mind and found herself standing outside the high school. 'Well, Mom, I did it, I graduated. I hope you were proud of me, Mom, but now... what would you think?' 

Tohru stood for a while staring at the school building, memories of Yuki and Kyo flooding back to her. She was happy to have graduated, but she missed living at Shigure's and being able to talk to him, and Yuki, and Kyo, every day. She sighed, paradise couldn't last forever, and hers had ended four long years ago when she had graduated. Yuki had gone off to college in Tokyo and Kyo had gone to work at his master's/father's dojo. Neither had wanted to leave her but the time had come, they couldn't stop the future, and Akito had decided that Shigure would no longer be housing wayward zodiac members. That would have left Tohru alone in the house with Shigure, which Tohru had no objection to (she wasn't worried that Shigure would ever try anything), but Yuki, Kyo, Hana, and Uo all had their objections. In the end it had been Shigure's own instance that Tohru go and not worry about who would take care of him that got her to agree to moving. He was, after all, a grown man (though you couldn't always tell) and could take care of himself.

Tohru realized that she had started walking again and was now standing across the clearing from Shigure's house. She was about to turn and go when she heard the dog calling out to her. She focused her eyes on the door to the house and there he was, beckoning for her to come in. 'How did he know I was here?' she asked herself, but she just shrugged and walked towards him, knowing she'd never get a straight answer even if she asked.

"Tohru, Tohru, Tohru has come to visit me," Shigure sing-songed as she paused in the entryway to remove her shoes. "Tohru, you don't look too good", he said in serious-mode. "You must be cold, come sit under the kotatsu and tell Shigure-oniichan what couldn't wait until Saturday."

Tohru had moved out of Shigure's house, but had insisted upon coming over on Saturdays to make him a meal and clean up a bit. It was the least she could do after all he'd done for her (and, truth be told, she wanted to see him). Shigure, of course, had agreed that that would be yummy. Tohru had thought he meant the food, while Kyo had thought something else and yelled that Shigure was a sick bastard. Shigure had just smiled, the way he saw it Kyo was the one with impure thoughts where Tohru was concerned, and it was so fun to bait him. 

Shigure sat down across the kotatsu from Tohru, lost in his thoughts. 'Kyo,' Shigure thought to himself, 'he usually comes over every couple of weeks, "coincidentally" on a Saturday. but he's not been here in more than a month, where is that boy?'

Shigure was about to ask Tohru if she'd seen Kyo lately when he noticed that she was just sitting there, staring blankly at her hands and looking like she was about to cry. He reached across the table and took her hands in his, causing her to look up at him. Her big blue eyes were indeed filled with tears about to spill. He squeezed her hands and gave her a little smile. "What is it, Tohru? Are you ok?"

Tohru felt him squeeze her hands reassuringly "Shigure I... I'm..." but that was all she could get out, for the tears had started in earnest. It was so comforting and safe to be home that she could no longer hold the tears at bay. 'Yes, home' she thought. She had moved out almost four years ago, but this house still felt more like home than the apartment she shared with Hana. 

Shigure immediately got up and walked around the table to sit next to her, wishing he could take her in his arms to comfort her. Barring that he did what he could. He held her hand, patted her back, stroked her hair, and whispered "shh... whatever it is, it'll be alright" while she cried herself to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru awoke around noon to find Shigure still sitting next to her, his hand in hers. She picked her head up from the table and saw that he was reading the newspaper. At her movement he looked at her and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his beautiful brown eyes. "Tohru," he said, "are you ready to talk now?"

"Shigure, I didn't mean to trouble you. I was taking a walk... I-I don't know how I ended up here.... I'm sorry, I'll go now." She knew she was cowardly trying to get out of talking to him, and she also knew that he wouldn't allow her to cry and leave with no explanation. She started to get up and as expected, he pulled her back down.

"Uh-uh, no you don't," Shigure said, and then decided to lighten the mood by joking "so, how pregnant are you?" 

Of all the things he thought she might do... turn bright red, scream baka or hentai, slap him, laugh... he hadn't expected her to sweat-drop and take on the appearance of a deer caught in the headlights. 'That's not good,' he thought to himself, 'guess it was a bad joke.'

Tohru was becoming panicked, 'He could tell just by looking at me?' she thought. 'I saw myself in the mirror this morning and I looked like me. but if Shigure can tell, then _everyone_ will be able to tell... Hana, Uo, _Him_....'

Shigure could tell she was beginning to panic, so he tried to calm her down. "Relax, Tohru, I guess it was a bad joke. I thought you'd just laugh and call me a pervert," he said, even though he knew she'd never call him that. After all he'd said (and done) through the years, if she hadn't called him a pervert yet, she never would. 

Then Shigure got the shock of his life when she looked down at the table and said quietly "six weeks." 

'Oh my,' he thought to himself, unknowingly mimicking Tohru's earlier mantra. 'What do I say? Something, anything! Idiot, if you don't say something she'll think you're ashamed of her and want her to leave'. "Tohru, I... have you gone to see Hatori?"

"No," she answered, still not looking at him. "Hatori is the Sohma doctor, I'm not a Sohma and I'm not even living here anymore, I couldn't ask him to see me."

Shigure spoke slowly as he said "Even so, I know Hatori wouldn't mind seeing you, and besides, you might not be a Sohma," 'yet' he added to himself, "but, uhh, Hatori's practice includes all Sohmas, even those not yet born." Shigure was stretching it a bit, but he knew Hatori wouldn't mind. He saw the look of embarrassment and uncertainty on her face and thought he might be assuming too much. 'Surely, it had to be Yuki or Kyo?' he thought, 'Wait... didn't she just say six weeks? I haven't seen Kyo for about six weeks... wasn't six weeks ago also when Yuki last visited? Damn, that doesn't help!' It was all he could do to not ask her outright who the father was. He thought Hatori's calm, professional demeanor might make her more willing to talk, so Shigure did something rare and held his tongue. "Besides, do you have another doctor to go to?" he added as an afterthought.

There was a long pause, he could see her thinking it over. "O-ok, if he says he'll see me. I'll go," she replied. Then Tohru felt Shigure's hand on her chin as he turned her face to his. She moved her eyes around, looking anywhere but at him. "Look at me," he said, his voice forceful. She looked at him and was relieved to see no judgment, no laughter, just concern, and yes, love. She released the breath she hadn't known she was holding and smiled for the first time since this morning. 

"Ahh, there's the Tohru I know," he said and winked at her. Then he kissed her lightly on the forehead and asked if she'd like some tea. When she shook her head no, he got up and went to call Hatori.

* * *

And that's it for chapter one! I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em. 

P.S. I haven't really decided yet who the father is. I thought I had. but now I'm not so sure. Being that I love Kyo I'm leaning that way, but Shigure already took over this chapter (bad Shigure!) when I hadn't planned to even have him in it... so I probably have no control over how the rest goes. *sigh*


	2. Is that good or bad?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, though I certainly wish Shigure was all mine! ::gets a dreamy look on her face:: Oh, uhm, they belong to Natsuki Takaya.

**A/N**: I got this chapter done pretty fast, go me! Heheh. Once again I'm bad at naming it though. Oh well. I have no idea how long a pregnancy test takes, so I'm using my fiction license (which I'll probably be using from time to time). Wherever you see "him" or "he" capitalized and/or in italics, that's in place of the father's name. I will try to get updates done ASAP, though they might not all be up as fast as this one since I do have 13 credit hours including Physics and Calculus. @_@ Thanks so much to shadowcat15 for the review, seeing that someone actually read my little story was what really motivated me to get this next chapter up. Also thanks to Duo, ES, and Rico for encouragement and such. ::hugs:: 

**Warning**: There may be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you. 

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 2: Is that good or bad?

*~*~*~*~*

Shigure's thoughts were scattered as he went to the phone, dialed the number, and waited for Hatori to pick up. 'I hope Tohru will be ok... maybe she's not pregnant, she could be wrong, but would that make her happy or sad... whoever's responsible had better be responsible... what about Akito, no don't think about that right now... how long has she not been a virgin...' this brought the image of Tohru in some rather delicate situations flooding into Shigure's mind. 'No, no, that's bad, don't think about that _ever_ or you really will be a sick bastard' he told himself. He could appreciate how beautiful and cute Tohru was, but he'd never really looked at her in _that way_. Yuki and Kyo couldn't see that his jokes were never serious and Tohru... well, Tohru never got them anyway.

"Moshi moshi" came a voice over the phone. 

Shigure didn't bother with 'Hello,' he went straight to "Do you have some free time today?"

"For you, Gure, I always have free time" the voice replied, sweet as honey.

Shigure was startled for a moment and then replied "Ayame, put Hatori on." There was a pause and Shigure heard Aya say dejectedly "Something's wrong with Gure, he won't play with me." Shigure could almost hear Hatori gathering his patience.

"Where'd you strain yourself this time? Heh." it was Hatori's voice now. 'How did I ever mistake Aya for Hatori?' Shigure thought to himself, 'wait... what did Hatori just say?'

"Hatori was that a joke? I'm so proud!" Shigure said with tears in his eyes.

"Call it evil influences" Hatori replied while looking at Ayame.

"Do you have any free time today? Tohru's... she needs to see you." Shigure was starting to get worried, the way Tohru had looked when she'd shown up this morning... it was uncharacteristic of her to seem so depressed.

"Ayame's here for lunch and is just leaving," Hatori said, putting emphasis on 'just leaving'. "After that I'm free until three."

"Perfect, she'll be right there." Shigure said and hung up the phone.

He went back to sit across from Tohru and noticed as he did that she was looking much better now. Her color was back, she didn't look like she was about to cry, and she wasn't staring off in space. "You're looking better. Hatori can see you today, so you should leave soon." Shigure said and smiled at her.

"Did you tell him? ... Uhm, will you come with me?" She asked. She wasn't afraid of Hatori, but the thought of going to the Main House alone, of maybe encountering Akito, was still a little scary.

"No, and yes of course." Shigure answered. He was actually rather glad she'd asked him to go along. If she were to encounter anyone _else_ while at the Main House it would be better if he were with her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru looked around Hatori's office and tried not to be nervous. 'What if the test was wrong and I'm not pregnant? Would I be relieved or sad?' She thought she knew the answer, but she wasn't ready to admit....

"What seems to be the problem?" Hatori asked, bringing Tohru out of her thoughts. 

She looked at Hatori and said plainly "Pregnancy."

Hatori was very practical. Tohru had lived for almost all of high school in a house with three males, two of whom were probably in love with her and the other was Shigure. Yes, Hatori had been prepared that she might one day ask for birth control or a pregnancy test (though he had hoped the former). He was a professional. He was calm. Yet the real thing was never as you imagined. Seeing her sitting there he couldn't help the sudden urge to punch whoever had done this to her. 'Don't be stupid,' he thought to himself, 'it takes two and no matter how much she still looks like a girl, she's a grown woman.' Then it registered that she was holding Shigure's hand.

"Shigure," Hatori said in a tone that left no mistake about what he was thinking.

Shigure held his hands up in defense. "It wasn't me, she asked me to come along." He had been planning to wait outside but she had grabbed his hand. He had been surprised and had acquiesced to her unspoken plea. It was unlike Tohru to lean on another for support, but he figured given the circumstances... well he didn't know the specifics, but whatever they were this was definitely different than anything she'd gone through before.

Hatori looked relieved. "I'll need to draw some blood," he said "and then the test will take about an hour." 

*~* An hour later.... *~*

When Hatori got back to his office with the results of the pregnancy test he was glad to see that Tohru looked calm. He also noticed that Shigure wasn't there. "Would you like me to wait until Shigure gets back?" Hatori asked.

"No, he's waiting for me outside." Since crying herself to sleep earlier Tohru had been feeling progressively better. She decided that whatever the results were, they were her results. 'It' had been her decision, she didn't regret it, and she had known what could happen. She even admitted to herself that she wanted _his _baby and some part of her had hoped for this.

Unsure of how she would react, Hatori was a little nervous. He had given results of pregnancy tests before, even once to Kana, but this was the first time he didn't know how the woman would react. "Tohru..." he started, and she held her breath. "It's positive."

Hatori saw the relief and joy on her face and couldn't help but smile. She smiled back. "I'm glad to see you're happy. I can give you a check-up now, but you'll need to see an OB/GYN. I can recommend a good one. Do you know how long...?"

"Six weeks," she answered. Tohru had been in shock this morning, but with Shigure's help she had come back to herself. Though she was unsure how _he_ even felt about her, she was going to have a baby and that became most important. She thought she was probably going to raise the child alone, and she was scared, but it wasn't an insurmountable task. Her mother had done it, and Tohru would do her best to be as good a mother to her child. Even if she didn't have _him_, she had a family of friends and she wouldn't give up! 'I've lived in a tent and held my "castle" together though a storm,' she thought to herself and laughed just a little, 'I'll be ok!' 

"Have you talked to the father?" Hatori asked softly.

"Not since... but that's ok, I'll be fine." Tohru answered, blushing slightly.

"So he hasn't asked you to marry him? Is he a Sohma?" Hatori didn't like asking such questions, but he couldn't help his own curiosity and he knew that if he didn't get the information from her Shigure would have less gentle methods. 'Speak of the devil,' Hatori thought as Shigure entered the room.

"Is it alright if I come in? It's cold outside." Shigure said. He noticed that Tohru looked happy, which was good, but he wasn't sure if that meant a positive or a negative. He looked at Hatori who nodded yes.

"You can come in Shigure," she said and then turned back to Hatori. "He hasn't asked me to marry him, and yes he's a Sohma," she repeated the questions for Shigure's sake. Tohru knew that they both wanted to know who the father was, which was only natural, but she wasn't prepared to tell them. Not until she told _him_.

'What the heck, it's been quite a day,' Hatori thought and then said "Forgive me if I'm assuming too much, but... Yuki or Kyo?"

Tohru blushed. "I-I suppose it's pretty obvious that it'd be one of them. I don't know what I'm going to say to Him." Tears started to gather in her eyes, "I don't even know if He wants children. The other already knows that I don't love him _that _way (and he doesn't love me _that_ way), but I'm afraid it might still hurt him. I need to talk to them both and then I can tell you. Please don't tell either of them, I want them to hear it from me."

"Of course," Hatori and Shigure said in unison. "As your doctor, I can't tell anyone," Hatori added, "and also as a friend, I wouldn't."

"I'll do my best, but you might want to tell Aya soon. Together we can keep a secret, but separately..." Shigure said and winked. Tohru laughed, knowing he was joking. "Do tell those young fools before I burst with curiosity and have to do some digging on my own."

"I thought curiosity was a cat thing?" Hatori said blandly.

"Yes, well. Two jokes in one day? My, my, aren't we lively!" Shigure teased.

* * *

And that's chapter two! I could have written a little more for this chapter, but I'm trying to keep the chapters about 1,500 words or thereabouts and it seemed I'd come to a good breaking point. Plus I'm tired and nervous about getting my first Calc test back tomorrow. Eek! 

Yes, I know, I still haven't said who the father is. Gomen nasai! (Is that correct Japanese?) Please don't hate me, but I'm not planning to reveal it until chapter 4 or 5. Why? Because I love the torture of suspense! MWA-HAHAHAHAHA! Ok, it could also have something to do with the fact that the story's almost writing itself and I'm not quite sure where it's going.

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	3. Star light, star bright

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. I wonder if she would sell me Shigure or Kyo...?

**A/N**: I changed the rating from R to PG-13. I decided that was probably good enough considering there's stories with yaoi/shonen-ai that are PG-13. "This is dialogue" ... 'this is a thought' ... I think I forgot to mention that before. Big, extra-special thanks to my new friend Yuki the Rat for her wonderful reviews and great help when I was stuck. Arigato! Yet another badly titled chapter, I do have some better names in mind for later chapters though. I think that's it, enjoy and please review! ^_^

**Warning**: There may be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 3: Star light, star bright...

*~*~*~*~*

"It's been along day, you must be hungry. How about we stop somewhere?" Shigure asked Tohru as they left the Main House. 'Too bad Hatori couldn't drive us, it's cold!' Shigure thought. He looked over at Tohru. Her nose and cheeks were pink from the chill and she had her hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of her jacket. She looked adorable. 

"Sure, where would you like to go?" Her stomach grumbled at the thought of food.

"Hmm... I know a good place for okonomiyaki that's not far from here." Living alone again Shigure had become reacquainted with the restaurants in the area. 

"Sounds good," Tohru said. When they reached their destination she looked up to see a sign that read "Ucchan's #5."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After they ate Shigure walked Tohru to her apartment. "When does Hana get back? You can stay in your old room..." he said, thinking Tohru might not want to be alone.

She smiled. "Hana gets back in three days, I'll be fine on my own."

"Well then au revoir mon petite fleur," Shigure tried out the French he'd learned for his new novel and kissed her hand with a flourish. 

Tohru laughed and said "I never saw the resemblance until just now." At his questioning look she added "Between you and Ayame."

Shigure laughed and waved as he muttered something about Hatori being right all the time and headed home.

Up in her third floor apartment Tohru was glad she'd have the place to herself for a few days. It would be easier to talk to everyone if she could do some thinking first, but right now she just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep. 

She flipped on the light in the bathroom and stood there for a moment. Had it only been this morning...? It seemed so long ago. She started to get ready for bed and as she combed her hair she turned to look in the mirror at how long it was. 'I should cut it,' she thought to herself. 'It's been the same since high school, and with work and a baby I won't have time for long hair. Or much else.' Though it might have bothered some, that thought didn't bother Tohru.

It was still daylight when Tohru fell asleep and her dreams were filled with _him_. She dreamt of _his_ sadness, _his_ smile, the first time she made _him_ laugh, but most of all she dreamt of _his_ kiss. The soft velvet of _his_ lips, _his_ hands in her hair, _his_ breath on her cheek.... She reached out to _him_ in her sleep but _he_ wasn't there. 

*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru awoke the next morning with an aching feeling of loneliness. She suppressed it, but her thoughts of _him_ were so strong that _his_ scent seemed to fill the room. She felt a strange combination of pain and pleasure that she would never get used to. Was _he_ going to haunt her dreams forever? She sighed and lay for a while wishing she could live in her dreams, with _him_ there beside her.

Eventually she stretched and looked at the clock. 'Good, plenty of time to get to work,' she thought. While Tohru was brushing her teeth the nausea came again. 'No breakfast today' she sighed. 

When she graduated high school Tohru had gotten a job with Aogiri Catering, and had been working there ever since. Aogiri was a large company that had five teams, each team consisting of a head chef, three assistant chefs, one pastry chef, and a five-member wait staff. Aogiri was a prestigious company and the only catering business in the area capable of handing very large-scale events. If all five teams worked together and the temps were called in there was nothing they couldn't handle. 

Tohru loved her job. The kitchen was where she felt most sure of herself, and it showed. It hadn't taken very long for her to go from assistant-to-the-assistant-of-the-assistant chef to head chef. Mr. Aogiri often teased her about taking over his company since Tohru's team was the most requested aside from his own.

Being the head chef had its advantages. For example, when they had a lunch function she didn't have to get to work nearly as early as the assistants. Mr. Aogiri said he had the assistants start on their own because "it shows my confidence in them, which leads to better job performance and trains better head chefs," but Tohru secretly thought it was because he wasn't a morning person.

Today her team was providing lunch for the 'Nihon International Confetti Convention.' Sometimes Tohru wondered if there wasn't a convention for everything. She had been given very few instructions on what to serve "it should taste good" being the client's main concern. In keeping with the spirit of confetti Tohru had chosen to make colorful dishes. She used food coloring when colorful ingredients wouldn't work and the end result was quite a sight. The wait staff laughed when they saw the banquet table, it did indeed being confetti to mind. 

Just before the lunch was served Tohru peeked in at the convention and was surprised to see so many sour-faced men in black suits. It definitely wasn't what she had expected, but then again she hadn't really known what to expect. 

After lunch just as Tohru and her team were about to leave the head of the convention's planning committee pulled her aside. 

"Were you responsible for all the color?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, did you not like it?" Tohru got a little nervous, 'Oh no! What if I ruined their lunch? All the color was a little strange but I thought it was pretty...' She started to panic a little.

"I loved it. We all loved it. Will you please do our next convention?"

Tohru relaxed. "I would be honored, thank you very much," she said and bowed deeply.

He returned her bow, "No, thank you. I haven't smiled like that in a long time."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After dinner that evening Tohru visited Shigure's house. Actually, she hadn't planned to visit the house, just the site of Yuki's long-abandoned secret base, but Shigure had once again known she was there. How _did_ he do that? It was kind of scary.

She had been sitting at the base for a while, lost in memories, when Shigure came up behind her and said "Good thing it's warmer today, ne?" Tohru jumped about five feet and thought she was going to have a heart attack. Several minutes later Shigure all of a sudden stopped laughing and said, "Come to see me two days in a row, what ever will everyone think?"

"I don't know if He would care."

"He who?" Shigure asked with a knowing look in his eyes.

She didn't answer his question. Instead she said "How about some tea?" and headed off towards the house. 

After their tea Shigure watched silently as Tohru left the room and headed outside. He enjoyed watching her go. 'You dog' Yuki's condescending voice said in Shigure's mind. 'Woof,' he thought and grinned.

Up on the roof Tohru looked at the first faint star and whispered to herself "Star light, stat bright, first star I see tonight...." Her wish was not for herself, but for the baby. The baby... she put her hand to her stomach in wonder. She had taken Health and Biology in school, but that didn't make it less amazing. Was there really a baby in there? How was it possible that she had started a new life? _They_ had started a new life, she amended. 'I'm just the one growing it,' she thought and smiled. 

Thoughts of the baby turned into thoughts of _him_ and Tohru started to count the stars in an effort to keep the thoughts at bay. It worked for a bit, but then she found herself wondering if it was possible that _he_ was thinking of her right now.

"Why did he run off?" she asked herself, feeling like she would never know yet fearing that she already did. 'What was it to him...? Men have needs and I was just... there?' Tears swelled up in her eyes. No! She refused to believe he would have used her like that. Even if he didn't love her _that_ way, she knew he cared about her and would never hurt her. 'But he has hurt you' came a little voice from the back of her mind. 'Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he doesn't care about me at all, maybe he _was_ using me...' she thought. 'Or...' came the little voice again, 'maybe you were using him.' 

* * *

That's it for chapter three! 

I hope I spelled "Aogiri" right, it could be embarrassing if I didn't and the way I spelled it means something bad in Japanese. ^_^; Five points to anyone who can figure out why it's "Aogiri", and one point to anyone who can catch the other anime reference (the other one's glaring). The way the story's going I still have quite a bit to go before the father's revealed. Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! 

I'm thinking of starting to use the Japanese honorifics (and going back and adding them, of course), I keep wanting to while writing. The reason I didn't in the first place was because I'm not entirely sure which ones different people use for each other, so it'd be some research work for me (I wanted to write, not research!). Is it too hard to read them, though?

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	4. Memories

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. This is just the outlet for my twisted imagination.

**A/N**: Sorry this chapter took longer. Thanks to Nova for saying I'm not OOC and to Hikari Rioki for staying up reading my little story, those are both really nice compliments. Oh no! Is that an ego forming? lol. Thanks also to everyone else who reviewed, I really appreciate it. angelicattie, yes Tohru's eyes are brown in the manga, but my story's based on the anime (since I've only read the first volume of the manga). Thanks for noticing that. ^_^ "*Mega powered Pleading eyes of doom*" Hahaha! I love that! 

**Warning**: There may be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 4: Memories

*~*~*~*~*

Hana arrived home a day early and called Uo to pick her up at the airport. They startled Tohru when they came into the apartment and Uo called out "Hey Tohru that smells good!"

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow, is everything ok?" Tohru said when Uo came to see what she was cooking.

"Yeah, Hana said she finished the consultation early so she just came home," Uo replied. 

"Did you eat? I could make you something" Tohru said.

"Yeah, we stopped for ramen. Sorry we didn't come get you. I thought you were working today?" Uo said.

"The bride ran off with her boss, so the wedding was cancelled," Tohru explained. 

"Her boss, eh? There's an idea. You gonna run off with Mr. Aogiri?" Uo said with laughter in her voice. Tohru, ever easy to tease, turned red.

"Uo! He's married!" Tohru said, shocked that such a thing would even be suggested.

"But you're not denying he's hot, right? And have you seen his wife? He could do better." Uo changed the subject, "This seems too much for just you" she commented while peeking at the veggies Tohru was stir frying.

"I... wanted some for leftovers" Tohru said half-truthfully.

"Uo, who's there? Where's..." Hana started as she walked into the kitchen. "Tohru" she finished, surprise evident on her face. 'Those aren't Tohru's signals,' Hana thought. Sparks flared in her eyes as she walked closer to Uo and Tohru. Uo's signals were fine, but Tohru's were faint and mixed with.... "Interesting" Hana said, deciding not to say anything more. Not yet.

'Can she tell?' Tohru's eyes grew wide. "I-Is everything ok Hana?"

"You're not coming down with a cold, are you?" Uo asked. Sometimes when Hana was sick her powers went haywire. At times like that it was a little scary and more than a little unsafe to be around her.

"I'm fine," Hana said, and sat down at the kitchen table. Uo did likewise and Tohru joined them with her dinner a few minutes later.

"How was your trip?" Tohru asked Hana.

"Boring. At least I got a bonus for being ahead of schedule." Hana worked as a consultant. She used her power to find good sites for construction, clear areas of negative waves, and even a little fortune telling, among other things. Sometimes she also wrote the horoscopes for the local newspaper. The most lucrative was the construction sites. Companies all over Japan paid Hana large amounts of yen to find them the sites least likely to be affected by things such as an earthquake or a volcano. This had Hana traveling all over Japan, sometimes on short notice. She didn't really care for the travel, but she loved the money, so she put up with it.

Hana and Uo chitchatted a bit while Tohru ate. Tohru listened to their conversation, which was mainly about Uo's job at the racetrack, but was too lost in her own thoughts to join in. She had to tell them about the baby, but she couldn't quite find the right words to broach the subject. In the end she didn't have to.

Tohru finished her dinner and went to clean up. Hana studied Tohru as she washed the dishes. A knowing look spread over Hana's face, "Yes, it's definitely the same." 

"What's the same?" Uo asked.

"Tohru's electric signals, they're... mingled." Hearing this, Tohru dropped the spatula she was washing.

"Mingled? Hana, you get more confusing every year." Uo said, not noticing Tohru's clumsiness. "Are you gonna tell me what's up?" 

Having made short work of the clean-up, Tohru came to sit back down just as Hana started her explanation. "When my mother was pregnant with Megumi her waves changed. At first they were mingled with my father's and then she had two sets, hers and Megumi's. Tohru's waves are mingled with Sohma waves."

As Hana was talking Tohru turned bright red. At the mention of "Sohma waves" her face felt so warm she wondered if she was going to start giving off steam. Uo looked from Hana to Tohru and said to Hana with disbelief in her voice "You think Tohru's pregnant?"

"Yes, our little Tohru is pregnant," Hana stated. 

Uo and Hana looked at Tohru. She looked from one to the other, took a deep breath, and said "Hana's right... I-I'm pregnant." After getting the words out she thought 'I think that's the first I've said it out loud.'

"Well, I gotta hand it to 'em, I never thought either of those boys would get up the nerve to make a move. So who's the lucky groom?"

"G-groom?" Tohru asked.

"Then he hasn't asked already? Don't think I'm gonna let him off without marrying you. I have my methods," Uo said with her hand in a fist and a dangerous light in her eyes.

"Tohru..." Hana said softly, "are you keeping it?" 

Tohru looked at Hana like she'd just said she could fly. "I could never...."

"Just checking," Hana said. She wanted to make sure Tohru knew there were options, even though she would never take any of them. "Have you told the father yet?"

"No," Tohru said, blushing.

"Is it the Prince or Orange-Top?" Uo asked bluntly. 

"...I can't tell you. I have to talk to them first," Tohru said. "I don't want Him to find out from someone else, and I don't want the other to be hurt."

"My money's on the Prince," Uo said then asked Hana "Can't you tell who it is?"

"Normally yes, but the Sohmas all have the same waves. I can't tell them apart," Hana replied. "And I wouldn't rule out the orange one." 

Tohru was back to a steaming blush. Uo and Hana each took one of her hands. "It's ok Tohru, you don't have to tell us and we'll help any way we can." Hana said.

"Just one more question," Uo added, unable to stop herself. "Was it good?"

Tohru looked at the table, smiled, and then nodded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yuki sat at the back of his history class and sighed. It wasn't like him to sit in the back, but he didn't want the professor to see him daydreaming. It also wasn't like him to daydream, but he'd been doing just that, and a lot of it. He sighed again. What was happening to him? 

'I'm becoming Kyo,' Yuki thought with a shudder as he remembered how the baka neko would sit on the roof and stare off into space for hours on end. 'Great, first Shigure and now Kyo... if that snake's next I'll jump off a bridge.' 

For a while now Yuki had found himself constantly thinking about her... her hair, her hands, her lips... he couldn't get the feel of her out of his mind. He sighed. He was as perverted as that damn dog and now he was sulking like that stupid cat. 'Might as well learn from the best,' he thought with a wry smile.

Yuki's smile disappeared as he became lost in thoughts of her. He remembered the way her lips felt under his, the little sound of encouragement she gave when his tongue sought entrance, the way her hands lightly tickled as they trailed over his body, the silky feel of her hair against his skin, the way her eyes half closed with pleasure when he....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kyo let himself fall onto his bed at his master's house. He'd spent the day practicing kicks against wooden dummies and was tired, sore, and bruised. He usually controlled himself when training, but today had been different. He'd awoken that morning from another one of _those_ dreams and had to get her out of his head. A long day of putting his body through torture should have done the trick, it always had before. No luck this time.

Kyo stretched and winced as his sore muscles protested. He lay staring at the ceiling and wondered if he was ever going to be normal again. Surely it was unhealthy to have these thoughts so often? It must be, look at Shigure.

'If I'm a sick bastard, I might as well enjoy it,' Kyo thought and let the memories wash over him. He saw her lying there half naked, waking up and moving towards him, pulling her shirt over her head.... He felt her unbuttoning his shirt, smoothing her hands across his chest, her lips and tongue trailing over his shoulder.... He heard her whisper "more" between kisses, suck in her breath when he touched a sensitive spot, moan his name when she....

* * *

*evil laughter* So that's chapter four! And no, they're not both thinking about Tohru. ^_^ Sorry for anything that's inaccurate, Kyo's training for example.

The next chapter might take a bit. It's going to be fun to write, but tough at the same time. Plus I have a bunch of homework I've been neglecting, so I'm going to have to focus on that for a while. Gomen! 

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	5. Pretend Strawberries

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya.

**A/N**: This chapter took forever, sorry! It is a little longer than the others, does that help make up for it? Ayame's a very tiring character to write and I'm behind on my Calc homework, so I didn't have much time until today to actually sit and write. I do know where the story's going for the next few chapters, but I'm not telling. I'm very sleep deprived right now but wanted to get this posted so I'm just gonna shut up before I start making even less sense. Big thanks to YTR for a bunch of stuff, to Shiemi for lots of really wonderful information about Japan and pregnancy, and to everyone who reviewed. 

**Warning**: There may be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 5: Pretend Strawberries

*~*~*~*~*

Time passed quickly and before Tohru knew it, it was Saturday again. She went to Shigure's as always, but when she arrived there was nothing that needed to be done. Shigure didn't take advantage, so there wasn't usually much to do, but there was always laundry. Today there was no laundry. 

Tohru was instantly suspicious. She went to Shigure's room to peek in the dresser and found his clothes neatly folded. 'Ah-ha!' She thought to herself. 'I might as well make lunch early.'

While making lunch Tohru's thoughts flipped back and forth between reasons Shigure would all of a sudden hire a maid. It must be because she was pregnant. There were two things she could think of: he didn't want her around or he thought she was incapable of simple tasks. She hoped it wasn't the first, but the second wasn't that pleasant either. 

As they ate Tohru said "Your maid is very good."

Shigure feigned surprise, "Maid?"

"Your clothes are folded neatly," she said as if that proved him a criminal. And it did, Shigure hated doing laundry and couldn't properly fold clothes.

"You looked?" He said with real surprise this time. He had known she would suspect something, but he hadn't thought she'd go looking for evidence. He saw the uncertainty on her face and regretted not talking to her earlier. "Gomen, Tohru. I..." Shigure didn't know why this was so hard. "You're going to be a wonderful wife, and a wonderful mother, and it's time I stop pretending it's for me."

Tohru blinked. Had Shigure just said he pretended she was his wife? Yes... that's what he had said. But why... he had never... surely he didn't... of course he doesn't, not like _that_. He looked so sad. It must be lonely living here all alone. "Shigure," She started, but he cut her off.

"Don't. You're always welcome here, Tohru, but no more housework, ok?" He smiled, back to his old self.

Tohru thought for a moment. She still wasn't sure what he'd meant by pretending, but he was probably right to hire a maid. With the morning sickness she was already having trouble doing everyday chores and it was probably going to get worse. "Ok, as long as the maid isn't expensive, but I'm still making you lunch once a week."

"I wouldn't dream of asking you not to," Shigure said with a grin, "And it was a... friend who cleaned." Tohru wasn't sure, but she thought Shigure blushed for a moment. Surely she was mistaken? 

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal, each lost in their thoughts. While drying the dishes Shigure asked "Are there any leftovers?"

"Yes, are you still hungry?"

"I was thinking about Aya. You know how the cold affects him and poor Aya never gets a home cooked meal, he's likely to become ill. I think I'll take him the leftovers." Shigure said, knowing Tohru would insist on taking them herself.

"Oh no, I hope he's ok! His shop's closer to my apartment, I'll take the leftovers." Tohru said, and Shigure fought the urge to smile.

"I couldn't let you do that, I'll take them," he said.

"It's ok. I've not seen Ayame in a while, so it would be nice to see him." Tohru said. She wasn't as clueless as she seemed, she knew what Shigure was up to. He wanted her to take Ayame lunch and tell him about the baby. Why Shigure thought Ayame needed to know soon, Tohru couldn't imagine, but she didn't mind telling him and it was true that Ayame could use a good, home cooked meal.

"Well... ok," Shigure said, pretending to think about it. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru arrived at Ayame's shop a little later that afternoon. "Ayame?" she questioned, not seeing anyone. She looked around the shop, "Mine?" 

'Not here? That's odd,' Tohru was thinking when something started to slither up her leg causing her to jump back in surprise and almost drop the lunch she was carrying. "Ayame," she breathed, realizing what it must be. 

He made his way up her leg, under her skirt, and poked his head out the top of her modest neckline. "Tohru, you're always so warm," the snake said, wrapping himself around her shoulders. 

"Are you ok?" Tohru asked. 

"I was worried for a while there. I had just gone out for a small walk when the wind picked up, and I made it back to the shop when my life flashed before my eyes. All the wonderful things I would never do, the lives that would never be improved by my miraculous designs, the poor souls who would never look upon my greatness! Then I saw you, ever my shining light of hope, and knew that I was saved!"

'He's fine,' Tohru thought, glad to see he was acting normal... for Ayame.

"To what do I owe the honor? Surely you grew weary without my presence for so long." Ayame said as he journeyed back down into Tohru's dress and wrapped himself around her middle.

"Yes it has been a while. Shigure sends you lunch," Tohru said a little unnerved by the way Ayame was wrapped around her. He transformed from the cold quite often when she was around and loved to warm himself against her, but it was never quite like this. "A-Ayame, what are you doing?" she said softly.

"Measuring," he replied matter-of-factly, as if it were an everyday occurrence for a girl to have a snake wrapped around her like a lover's arm. "I thought so, I'll have to make an adjustment," he told her from within her dress. 

"Ayame!" Tohru exclaimed when he moved pointedly over her breast.

"Two adjustments," he said as he poked his head back out her neckline. He then quickly jumped, as much as a snake can, to the nearby counter and down to the floor behind it, just in time for the loud *POOF* as he transformed back. 

Tohru quickly looked the other way, but Ayame said "it's ok," so she turned back. She blushed at the sight of him. He really was beautiful. He was standing behind the counter, which was a little above his waist, giving Tohru full view of his bare stomach, chest, and arms. He was wider in the shoulder and more muscular than his usual outfits made him appear. She looked up to his face and found him grinning. 

"Yes, I am perfection!" He said happily then asked "Would you mind?" pointing towards the other end of the shop.

Tohru turned to look in the direction he indicated and saw his clothes lying on the floor. "Oh, of course!" She said and fetched them for him. She kept her gaze averted while he dressed, thinking to herself 'He really does have the right to brag'. Still, Ayame didn't affect her the way _he_ did. No-one affected her the way _he_ did. A look from _him_, a slight touch of _his_ hand, or a glimpse of _his_ chest was enough to set her heart aflutter. Tohru was suddenly overcome by the urge to run to _him_ and wrap her arms around _him_. She could do neither. 

Ayame finished dressing and came around from behind the counter. He was going to ask Tohru about lunch when he noticed that she looked like she was about to cry. "Tohru, are you ok? Uhm...." Had he hurt her feelings? "My latest creation is easy to let out, and I didn't mean to imply the extra little bit looks bad on you, it doesn't! You look fabulous, better than ever!" He said and took her hand, twirling her. 

When the twirl ended, instead of looking better (as everyone did after a twirl, who could be sad while twirling?), she looked like she was going to fall over. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her and she quickly recovered.

Ayame kept hold of her shoulders and studied her for a moment. Was she ok? He'd never seen anyone get dizzy from a simple twirl. Well, he would ask her, but for now he wasn't going to let that lunch get any colder. He put up the 'out to lunch' sign and said "I cannot wait a moment longer to try the delicious lunch you have made just for me! Come, to the café!"

The 'café' was really a small break area in the back of the shop with a table, mini-refrigerator, and small microwave. Aya retrieved some strawberries from the refrigerator and held them out to Tohru. "Aren't they the biggest strawberries you've ever seen? Help yourself!"

They were indeed the largest strawberries Tohru had ever seen. "Thank you," she said taking one of the smaller berries. She took a bite then looked at the berry with a strange expression on her face. 

"Is it rotten?" Ayame asked, examining the rest of the berries. They looked ok to him. Tohru dropped her berry on the table, put a hand to her mouth, and ran to the bathroom they had passed on the way to the 'café'. 

Ayame was a little worried. Was Tohru alright? Shigure wouldn't have sent her with lunch if she was sick. Aya decided he could worry just as well while eating, so he sat down to enjoy Tohru's wonderful lunch. 

He thought back to earlier. Why would she have gained weight? He wouldn't have noticed from looking at her, but when he was in snake-form (and climbing up her body) the small difference seemed a lot bigger. 

A few minutes later Tohru came to join him at the table. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, then looked at the berries that were sitting on the table. "I..." she quickly shut her eyes. "Can you get those away, please?"

Aya didn't understand, but he did as she asked. While he was putting the strawberries in the fridge he remembered. He had seen a woman react that way to food before. It was when his mother was pregnant with Yuki. 'No, it can't be,' he thought to himself. He looked from the offending berries to Tohru and back again. 'It is. Does she know?' 

"Tohru, are you...."

"Ayame, I'm fine, really. I guess I won't be eating strawberries for a while." She said and smiled.

'She must know. And Shigure knows, that's why he sent her. Good Shigure, very good,' Aya thought then said "Does the father know?"

His question didn't surprise Tohru. "No. I... haven't seen him."

Ayame thought for a moment and asked "Are you going to tell him?"

Tohru was silent for a few minutes. Ayame just waited, knowing she would answer. "He's very busy, he doesn't need anything more to worry about and I'm... not going to force him into anything." 

Ayame considered telling Tohru that she should tell the father right away, but then he thought better of it. If Tohru wasn't comfortable telling _him_ about the baby, there must be a good reason. It seemed obvious that she thought _he_ didn't want to marry her, and Aya could understand Tohru not wanting _him_ to marry her out of responsibility. Ayame was one hundred percent sure that _he_ wanted to marry her regardless, so eventually things would work out. There was no need to rush them. 

Aya brightened and said "This is an occasion that calls for a gift! I might become an uncle. Can you imagine the delight of having someone as spectacular as I for an uncle?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru left Ayame's shop an hour and a half later with his latest creation, a winter nightgown, in a box under her arm. Coming from Aya it was a natural gift, but coming from anyone else it would have seemed inappropriate. It was a beautiful nightgown. It was very soft and very comfortable with sleeves so long they covered half her hands, a high neckline, and an embroidered hem that just touched the floor. 

As Tohru walked home she thought about Ayame's habit of making her a dress every year and secretly hoped he'd continue to do so after....

Then she noticed where she was and stopped right in the middle of the street. She was on the route from Aya's shop to Shigure's house, not back to her apartment. 'Will I never have "home" again?' she thought to herself as she took a right turn and headed for the apartment.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ayame smiled to himself as he closed the shop for the day. He loved secrets and, contrary to popular belief, was very good at keeping them... when he wanted to. Would he keep this one? He smiled again. He would... but he wouldn't keep secret _that_ he knew, only _what_ he knew. He laughed evilly. This was going to be fun, he knew who the father was and Shigure didn't. 

* * *

You know you're tired when you call a chapter "Pretend Strawberries". Sorry if there's more grammar mistakes and stuff than usual, I wanted to get it posted. 

I'll try not to let the next chapter take so long. If you're wondering when the father will be revealed... soon, but I'm not sure exactly. Probably in the next chapter or two. Or three. Don't hate me, I have other things to get to before then. ^_^;; You know you love the suspense, come on, admit it! Yes I think I need to get some sleep now... sleep good, act weird bad....

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	6. That Night

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya, I just like playing with them (oh that sounds so bad, especially with this chapter).

**A/N**: Please read the warning below. Sorry this took so darn long to post! This whole chapter is a flashback, and it gives away the identity of the father (if you remember the earlier chapters). I like that I can reveal it without revealing it, I am so strange. A big thanks to Yuki The Rat for help and encouragement, and because I would have never had the courage to post this version without you (but then again I may not have _written_ this version without you, mwha-haha). Also thanks to everyone who's reviewed and to my fiery long-time-friend for making me feel less hentai for writing this.

**_WARNING_**_:_ This chapter is rated R for sexual content. It isn't a lemon, but I'm told it's more than a lime (it's a limeon, haha). If you aren't comfortable with that, or don't know what those terms mean, you may not want to read it. There may be OOC moments (or the whole thing, or something... yeah) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

**_SPECIAL NOTE:_** Due to another story of mine being reported, I have looked over this one for anything that might be considered NC-17, and therefore I edited some stuff out of this chapter and reposted. I may even change the story's rating to R just to be even safer. If you'd like to read the whole version of the chapter, it can be found at mm-org under the same author name, The Smiling Onigiri (and I believe the whole story is rated NC-17 there for some stuff in later chapters, but I can't really remember).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 6: That Night

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----- Seven weeks earlier -----

        He found himself outside her apartment at three o'clock in the morning. He just wanted to talk to her, to find out if it was true. Had she really done that? Why would she do such a thing? He needed to know, but now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do. If he knocked on the door he'd wake her up, but if he waited outside someone might see him. The last thing he wanted was for the police to show up and think he was a burglar or peeping tom.

        Knocking was the better option, and it's not like she ever got mad. She would be tired and surprised to see him, but she would smile, let him in, and make him tea or even breakfast. He smiled at the memory of one of her delicious breakfasts. He would give anything to have her with him again every morning, even if _those two_ had to be there also.

        He laid his hand against the door. She was inside, asleep, probably with her arm wrapped around the teddy bear that damn dog gave her. As much as he ached for an explanation, he couldn't bring himself to wake her. What was he thinking to come here at this hour? 'You weren't' he answered.

        He should just leave and come back at a decent hour. He sighed, for he could no more leave than pull the stars from the sky. He was stuck, but it was just as well. Being arrested for a pervert would be better than seeing the truth in her eyes.

        He leaned his head on the door near his hand and looked at the doorknob. She was probably still too trusting and never remembered to lock it... he hesitated a moment then reached a hand out to try the lock. The handle turned and the door opened just a crack. He paused, was it ok to go in uninvited? Probably not, but it's not like he was gonna do anything bad. He would just sit on the couch until she woke up.

        He took a step into the apartment and shut the door silently behind him. 'I wonder if they make door locks on timers,' he thought as he locked the door and his eyes adjusted to the dark of the living room. That's when he saw her.

        She was wearing nothing but pale pink panties and a small tank top and was draped on the couch in a manner that brought all sorts of primal urges to life. The urges were familiar, he felt them whenever he was around her, but they'd never been this strong.

        He watched her chest rise and fall with the steady, even breaths of deep sleep. He drank her in, his eyes moving slowly over her every line and curve, dip and peak. His breathing changed. 'Calm down, that daisy swimsuit she wore at the beach didn't show much less,' he thought to himself. Of course, that day they had been surrounded by Sohmas, and now they were alone in the dark. His gaze drifted unwittingly back to her chest. 'And the swimsuit was a thicker material,' he thought as his mind registered the darker circles showing through the thin, white tank top.

        'It's hot in here, that must be why she's sleeping like this' he guessed and walked to the middle of the room to turn up the ceiling fan. It did feel better with the air moving, but the fan was mostly an excuse to get near her. He looked down at her peaceful, beautiful face and walked closer, stopping a couple feet away.

        The clouds outside the window shifted and moonlight flowed into the room, illuminating the ivory of her skin. She stirred in her sleep and sighed softly, a happy, contented sigh. He thought she might wake up and started to back away, thinking it would be better if she didn't find him two feet away gawking at her. He froze as she moaned softy and ran her hand along her waist and up under her shirt. He watched, transfixed, as her hand ran along her stomach then down to rest on her thigh. He sucked in a breath, the movement had left the tank top pushed up, leaving her midsection exposed.

        Almost in a daze, he moved over to the couch and sat by her thighs. She pressed her leg against him and made a noise like a contented babe. The sound was so alluring and the moonlight so beautiful on her pale skin that he couldn't help himself, he had to touch her. Just one little touch and he would go, he promised himself, his reason for being there completely forgotten. He reached out slowly, reverently, and softly brushed a shaky finger along the skin of her knee. When she didn't stir he became bolder and moved on to her upper arm, her temple, her cheek. He trailed a finger down from her chin and smoothed his entire hand over her stomach. He caressed the curve of her hip and started like a thief when she caught his hand and said something softly... was it his name?

        He leaned closer to see if she was awake. Her eyes were closed and she had a strange expression on her face, almost pain. He whispered her name, and she moaned his while taking his face between her hands. Before he knew what was happening, she had brought her lips to his. He let out a sound of surprise, but it was lost as her tongue found entrance and began to explore his mouth.

        At first he was immobile, eyes wide with disbelief, too shocked to react. As she continued to kiss him passionately, he just sat there. Not moving, not thinking. He started to come back to himself and realized he liked the way she looked this close, with her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed. Then the sensations registered and they were exquisite.

        Her hands on the side of his face, her warm breath on his cheek, her soft lips pressed to his, her tongue running along his teeth, he had dreamed of this for so long, he wished it could go on forever. Even if she was asleep, even if she didn't know what she was doing, he would take the taste of heaven offered him. He closed his eyes and returned her kiss, his tongue tangling with hers and finding its way into her mouth.

        His hands itched to touch her. Now that they'd felt how soft her skin was, they wanted to touch every inch of it (and certain inches more). He put them at his sides and gripped the fabric of his pants. He would steal a kiss, but no more. 'And,' the other side of his mind told him, 'if you don't touch her maybe you can prolong the moment when she comes to and pushes you away.'

        She shifted and moved towards him, giving him no choice but to sit back against the couch or transform. Still kissing him, she moved her hands to his shoulders and straddled him. Almost all self control and good intentions lost, he put his hands on her hips as she worked at the buttons of his shirt. He made little sounds of pleasure deep in his throat as her fingers brushed against his chest, then his stomach, as she worked her way down the long row of buttons.

        When the last button was undone she broke the kiss and leaned back, pushing the fabric from his shoulders. Through the haze of desire it registered that her eyes were open and she was looking at him with an emotion he had never seen before. 'Wha-' he lost all train of thought when she smiled slightly, leaned towards him, and began kissing the skin of his shoulder. With a groan he was no longer able to hold back when her tongue began tasting his skin.

        He trailed a hand up her back, under her shirt, gently kneading her soft skin. She arched into his hand and let out an "mmm..." of pleasure, her movement bringing her chest forward invitingly. He watched her face for any sign of shock or revulsion as he put his free hand to a breast and felt its weight. She drew in a breath and he moaned when her nipple hardened in his hand.

        He pulled her towards him and rested his forehead just below her neck, breathing deeply. She hadn't said a word, and he wondered briefly if she even knew where this was leading or what she was doing. He looked at his hand where it rested on her breast. She seemed to like touching him, and being touched by him, but she couldn't want.... 

        She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled his head up for a kiss. She wiggled on his lap and pushed herself into his hand as she whispered, "More," so softly he thought he'd imagined it. He kissed her with fervor and she whispered "More" again before returning his kiss with the same intensity. He complied, moving the hand that was on her back to her other breast. She pulled back suddenly and whispered "no." He immediately removed his hands, thinking whatever spell she was under had ended, she had come to her senses, realizing what she was doing and with whom.

        He was considering how best to avoid her freaking out when she surprised him by pulling the little tank top over her head and tossing it to the floor. His eyes widened and he saw her blush as he looked at her bare skin. She was more beautiful than he imagined. He looked to her for permission and their eyes met, his filled with disbelief and wonder, hers with that emotion he couldn't name. As if sensing what he needed, she took his hands and brought them to her bare breasts. Holding his eyes locked to hers, he leaned forward to kiss her lips softly before dropping his head to her chest.

        ((edited due to ff-net restriction on NC-17 material... just to be safe))

        When she began unbuttoning his pants he lost all coherent thought....

        ...And didn't regain it until well past dawn.

* * *

If you're still uncertain about who the father is, go back and read the end of chapter 4 (Yuki and Kyo's memories), that's where the give-away is. Then if you're still uncertain, email me and I'll tell you (haha that's not as much fun, but I do so love email!), or wait until the next chapter because I'll be using his name sometimes from now on. I think this chapter is a big glaring spotlight on who it is, but I wrote it so it's hard to look at it from the point of not knowing... uhmm yeah.

If the father isn't who you thought it was, I hope it was a nice surprise and my mission is accomplished. I can be a little evil sometimes, eh? grins I was going for a surprise, but I don't know, maybe it wasn't really surprising. And uhmm... you're welcome to threaten my life (as long as you're not serious ;;;), but I hope no-one is disappointed enough to stop reading.

The next chapter should be up pretty soon because I have this week free from classes, yay! I do have homework to catch up on, but ehh, I like writing more. I sure hope the plot starts moving soon or this is going to be a very long story... not that that's bad. If you're wondering why it's seven weeks and not six, that's because there was another week during the events of the other chapters, in case that wasn't clear.

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	7. Dreams

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. I just have an overactive imagination.

**A/N**: Well I planned to write 2 or 3 chapters while I was on break this week, but instead I sat around doing nothing. It was glorious! I did make a yummy wallpaper of Ayame. ::stares at her desktop for a while:: He's so pretty! I stayed up way later than I should have to edit this chapter and get it posted, I want to keep a rate of at least one chapter every week. If I don't, I have a feeling the story will never end. Anyway... anyone still unsure of who the father is, rest assured, it's completely unveiled in this chapter. I thought it was obvious who it was with that last chapter, but I guess it wasn't. I got a kick out of the way different readers thought it was Yuki/Kyo for completely different reasons, some things I'd not even thought of. I had planned something different for this chapter, but this is what my muse gave me, so here it is. Does anyone actually read my little notes, I wonder? Standard 'thank you' to everyone who reviewed, to YTR for her invaluable help and encouragement, and to my Elf friend for being a wonderful guinea pig. Also a hello to Ms Videl Son and SangoGoddess. ^_^

Warning: I used some artistic license with the grammar here and there in this chapter (though probably I'm the only freak who would notice something like that). There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 7: Dreams

*~*~*~*~*

Clutching a pillow tightly to her chest, Tohru was jolted out of sleep in the middle of the night. She struggled to catch her breath as she rolled onto her back to stare blankly up at the ceiling. It was that dream again. She put a protective hand over her stomach and tried not to remember the disturbing images.

_She was making dinner and humming softly to herself when she heard a child's giggle behind her. She turned around and saw her husband entering the room with their son on his shoulders. The little boy's hands were clasped tight in his father's hair, hair the same exact shade of orange as his own. She smiled at them and went back to her task._

_ "What are you making, 'Kaasan?" her son's tiny voice asked. "Leek onigiri" she teased, and giggled at her husband's sound of pain. "Those better not have leeks, wife." Came the harsh reply, but she could detect the smile in his voice. He came up behind her and rested his hands on her hips, looking over her shoulder. Her son touched her head and she looked up at him. He had his arms outstretched, his blue eyes pleading. How could she resist? She wiped her hands on her apron and took him into her arms for a tight hug. He snuggled against her neck causing her to giggle, a trick he'd learned from his father. She closed her eyes, loving the feel of his solid form in her arms. When she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead she looked up into her husband's loving face as he leaned down to place a soft kiss upon her lips. _

_ In the next instant she felt her husband's yell of pain and surprise against her lips as he was yanked away from her and thrown across the room. His back smacked against the china cabinet, breaking the dishes with a loud crash as he fell to the floor, blood staining his shirt. Her son tensed at the noise and she hugged him tighter, keeping his face averted from his father's motionless, bloody form. Her eyes searched the room, but there was no-one. What could have caused this? _

_ "I commend you for keeping a secret from me for so long, but did you really think you could keep the boy hidden forever?" A low voice said from nowhere, chilling her to the bone. "Akito," she breathed, and then he was there, standing before her in his pretty robes, his face an ugly mask of rage. He reached out and started to pull her son from her arms. She tried to hold on to him as she looked at his panicked face, but she wasn't strong enough. He began slipping from her arms and she cried out. _

_ Akito smiled perversely and said "That's right, scream all you want, it's music to my ears. But it won't help you, nothing and no-one is going to help you. I'm the head of the Sohma family. These two are Sohmas, which makes them mine, and I'm taking them. Get a good look because this is the last you'll ever see them, and the last they'll ever see the light of day." With that, Akito pulled the boy completely from her grasp. Then he turned and pulled her husband up by his hair, and all three of them vanished while she screamed in anguish._

"Kyo," Tohru whispered, her voice filled with love and pain. With a lot of convincing, a little trickery, and some good acting on Yuki's part, she had successfully kept Kyo from being locked up after high school graduation. What would Akito do when he found out about the baby? The worry wasn't for herself, it was for Kyo and their child. 

"Mom, you were always so strong, I wish you were here. I wish I had that strength." Tohru said while looking at her mother's picture on the nightstand. "Tohru," Kyoko's voice came, "you do have my strength. I was strong because of you, and you will be strong because of your child. You will have a mother's strength." Tohru imagined the child from her dreams, with his shock of orange hair and blue eyes, and hoped her mother was right.

She lay there for a while trying to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. She kept seeing Akito ripping her child from her arms and Kyo lying there, still and bleeding, surrounded by jagged pieces of pottery. She wished he was here with her now or they were back at Shigure's so she could go to his room and make sure he was ok like she'd done so many times. 

Before graduation, she had had recurring nightmares of him locked up. She always awoke needing to see him, to touch him, to make sure he was ok. She would tiptoe into his room and watch him sleep for a while before gently touching his hand, shoulder, or cheek. Once, he had been having a bad dream so she'd sat with him, her heart aching as she held herself back from lying down beside him and holding him tight. As she held his hand and gently stroked her thumb over his skin, he'd calmed in his sleep. She'd kissed his cheek before silently heading back to her own room. 

She found herself wondering again where he was and what he was doing. Was he ok? Did he think about her? Had she been too forward? Had she messed up their friendship? Had he not enjoyed it? Did he love her? Would he want the baby? Did he want to marry her? Would he want to marry her because of the baby?

She reigned in her thoughts. He'd left a note saying he had to leave for training on the mountain with Kazuma and he'd be back in about a month. That was almost two months ago now. He must be back at the dojo, so why hadn't he come to see her? Surely if something had happened on the mountain they would have been missed and she would have heard about it. Or if only Kyo had been hurt, Kazuma would have come to tell her. Tohru didn't always pick up on things, but she knew her love for Kyo didn't get past Kazuma. Maybe it was all his martial arts training, for it seemed that nothing got past Kazuma. She suddenly wondered if she could just ask him what Kyo's reaction would be. No, that was a cowardly thing to do. 'No more so than not going over there to tell him,' she thought and sighed. 

Yes, she was being cowardly. When she had first thought she might be pregnant, she'd promised herself she would tell Kyo right away. As it was, it had been over a week since she'd found out for sure and she'd not even talked to him. She rationalized it, of course, telling herself that he had a lot to do at the dojo and that she didn't want to force him into anything. Both things were true, but did they really excuse not telling him? ... It wasn't like she was going to hide it from him. She just wanted to know how he felt first. That was normal, wasn't it? 

At least she hadn't backed down from telling Yuki that she only loved him as a friend. Even though she'd been sure he didn't have romantic feelings for her, it had still been hard to tell him. She'd stumbled over her words, not knowing how to say it without hurting his feelings. He had understood what she was trying to say and confessed that he felt the same. 

Tohru had been surprised when Yuki'd also confessed to having a crush on her until not long ago. She had likewise confessed to the crush she used to have on him. Yuki had assumed she'd met someone and fallen in love, and that was why she'd come to tell him how she felt, which was true. Only, he'd assumed she had met someone recently and had asked her when he was going to meet this mystery man. She hadn't had the heart to tell Yuki that her crush on him had faded in the second year of high school as she'd fallen in love with Kyo.

Even though she hadn't said anything that was untrue, she felt she'd lied to Yuki. If only she'd told him that day, he probably wouldn't have been that upset. Now, though, he'd be hurt because she lied to him. He might even wonder if she'd lied about anything else. Yuki was one of her dearest friends, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

She usually looked forward to seeing Yuki, but she'd been relieved when he had called last week to say he wouldn't be making his usual visit. That meant it would be next month, or later, before she'd see him. She was glad for the time to think about what to tell him, and to tell Kyo about the baby. Kyo should have been the first to know, but five people already knew before he did.

Tohru looked at the clock and realized she wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight, so she got up to take a long bath and make breakfast for herself and Hana.

* * *

Hopefully the next chapter will be what I planned for this one. There was something else... oh yes! Thanks to Shiemi for her wonderful information on pregnancy (and Japan), I used her tip about dreams in this chapter. I made it a little different than what I think she meant to make it fit the story more, I'm glad there's no accuracy police. ^_^;; Maybe that's why I like fiction. 

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	8. A Little Bit Of The Past

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. They belong to Natsuki Takaya, I just take them out for dinner now and then.

**A/N**: This chapter took longer, but it's almost twice as long as usual. *sigh* Long chapters are tiring! Thanks to Shiemi once again, I hope I did her info justice. ^_^ And as always thanks to everyone who reviewed, and to YTR, Elf, and Ree for their help. 

Warning: There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 8: A Little Bit Of The Past

*~*~*~*~*

"Ano, Hatori, isn't the Sanfujinka the other way?" Tohru asked when he turned left out of the parking lot nearest her apartment. The small maternity hospital was a bit far and it was her first visit so Hatori had insisted on driving her.

"We have to make a small stop first," Hatori replied. It was a stop he didn't want to make, but he knew if he didn't, he'd never hear the end of it. 

The car hadn't been stopped in front of Ayame's shop for more than a second when Hatori saw his two fruity cousins come dancing out of the building (literally, doing the tango). Hatori sighed and unlocked the doors. This was going to be a long day.

"Ayame and Shigure are coming?" Tohru asked as she giggled watching Shigure twirl Ayame outside her window.

"Don't encourage them," Hatori said then thought 'What am I saying? Any reaction, or lack thereof, encourages them.' He remembered her question and said "They insisted" just as Ayame opened the back door and scooted over to sit behind him.

"Of course we insisted, Ha'ri. Did you think we would leave our little flower all to you?" Shigure said as he climbed in behind Tohru. "You know we like to share," he finished with a wink, knowing Hatori could see him in the rearview mirror.

Tohru started when Hatori all of a sudden stepped on the gas before Shigure had shut the back door. Shigure shut the door quickly and said "Still the possessive one, I see. It really has been too long, hasn't it Aya? Our Ha'ri needs another lesson in sharing."

"For sure, Gure, I must agree! Never fear, Tori, we're here to help with all your needs! After all, what are friends for?" Ayame said and ran a finger lightly along the right side of Hatori's neck, where Tohru couldn't see. Hatori twitched slightly at the touch and Aya smiled. So, Tori was still ticklish.

Hatori almost ran off the road while Aya and Shigure died laughing when Tohru asked "Can I help?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At the Sanfujinka everyone stared when a young woman walked in with an older, tall, handsome man in a yukata. The staff at the hospital was used to seeing pretty young women with older men, but a man this handsome was a rare jewel. The women watching sighed as young woman and the man talked softly to each other. It was very rare for such a couple to actually be in love. Just when the women were turning back to their work or magazines, the young woman was joined by another man. The second man had long, flowing white hair and the most beautiful face any of the women had ever seen. The women, and a few men, watched as the young woman began talking with the newcomer just as she had with the first, then both men took one of her hands. 

The three came up to the reception window to sign in. The receptionist stammered over her instructions as she handed over the paperwork to fill out for a first visit. There was something unsettling about the gaze of the white-haired man. His eyes were such a strange color, like warm honey, that she couldn't look away. She found herself wondering what he was wearing under that long, blue robe and felt her heart rate rise when he winked at her. Did he know what she was thinking? Those mesmerizing eyes traveled slowly to her chest. Yes, he knew what she was thinking. She looked over to the young woman who was taking a seat with the other man. Which one was the father? It had to be this one, what woman could resist him? Then... why was he seducing other women with his eyes and why was another man with them? The receptionist's thoughts were cut off when a third man, this one dark and mysterious, approached saying simply "Ayame." The warm honey eyes brightened as they looked at the taller man and then both men crossed the room to the young woman's side.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru filled in the forms as quickly as she could. She wanted to get out of there, everyone was staring at her and it was making her nervous. Well... more accurately everyone was staring at Ayame, Hatori, and Shigure. Tohru knew it was strange for her to be there with three men, all of the other women were there alone or with one companion. Tohru noticed that for some women the father was with them, while others were with a best friend or a parent. 

Tohru's eyes fell on one girl who looked sixteen or seventeen, there with her mother it seemed. The girl was the only one in the room not looking at Tohru's entourage. She was looking at the ground with a sad expression on her face. Her mother was staring daggers at Shigure and Ayame, who were sitting very close on either side of Tohru. When the mother looked at her, Tohru smiled, fighting the urge to run and hide. 'What a scary woman! That poor girl,' Tohru thought as the woman studied her for a moment then huffed and whispered something to her daughter. The girl just nodded.

"Ne, Tohru, aren't you going to finish the paperwork?" Shigure asked, drawing her attention back to the task. 

"Oh, uhm, yes, sorry," she replied, a little frazzled from having her inattention caught.

"Ah, Gure, we're distracting your little flower. Don't be embarrassed, Tohru, we have that affect on everyone. Isn't that right, Tori?" Aya switched to a lower tone "He can't get any work done with us close, either."

'That's because you two never shut up,' Hatori thought, but said "You know, Tohru, you can tell them to back off."

Tohru looked to her left, past Shigure to Hatori. "Oh it's ok... it's not their fault, I like having them near."

"Did you hear that, Aya? She likes us near," Shigure said, drawing out the last word.

"Well, Tohru darling, you can have us _near_ any time you want." Aya said with a dashing smile, making Tohru blush.

"Ha'ri too, I'm sure" Shigure added and yelped when Hatori pinched him. 

"Shame, shame, Shigure, forgetting how rough Tori can be," Ayame said and reached behind Tohru to pinch Shigure's other arm.

"Tohru, they're abusing me!" Shigure whined, tears streaming.

Tohru looked between the three of them trying to follow what was going on. Life never failed to be interesting when Ayame and Shigure were together, especially when Hatori was around too. Tohru smiled and giggled as she thought 'Life is more interesting around any of the zodiac members.'

"And now my flower's laughing at me!" Shigure wailed.

"Serves you right," Hatori said, trying to keep the mirth from his voice.

Shigure's eyes widened when Tohru took his hand, kissed it, and winked at him, keeping his hand held tight in hers.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Aya asked after a moment.

Tohru began to answer but was cut off when her name was called. 

"Don't forget the paperwork," Hatori said, handing her the clipboard as she started towards the nurse who'd called her name.

"Thank you, Hatori," she said and smiled brightly. His eyes softened as he watched her hand in the forms and follow the nurse through one of the doors off the waiting area. Tohru looked older since the last time he'd seen her, though it was still hard to think of her as an adult. She was a grown, pregnant woman but he would always see the young girl who'd started his heart moving again. It was strange, feeling alive after being frozen for so long. Yes, curse or no curse, Kana or no Kana, Tohru had helped him feel alive again. Hatori looked at his cousins. It seems she'd made them all feel alive.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

While Tohru was away, Shigure used his curse-heightened hearing to listen to the conversations around the room. He frowned at what he heard. Maybe coming here hadn't been such a good idea after all. He should probably listen to Ha'ri more often... nah.

_"It has to be the one in the yukata, she kissed him."_

_ "Just on the hand and the white-haired one looked upset. And look at him! It's that one."_

_ "But did you see the way she smiled at the one in the suit, and the way he watched her? That one's definitely in love with her."_

Shigure raised his eyebrow and glanced at Hatori, then froze at what he heard next.

_"No, the yukata one's in love with her. Did you see the look on his face when she kissed him? Pure desire, and that was a lover's spat if I've ever seen one."_

_ "It was surprise, not desire, so it wouldn't be him. It must be the one that got jealous. You don't get jealous if you don't care, it's the white-haired one."_

Shigure glanced at Aya. Real jealousy? No, Ayame was thoroughly satisfied with his little partner-in-crime. How Aya, of all people, had managed to find a woman that suited him so well would forever be a mystery. 

_"Maybe it's all three."_

_ "All three love her?"_

_ "And all three..."_

_ "Oh that's scandalous!" and then lower, "I like it."_

Shigure laughed to himself then stopped. This was Tohru they were talking about. That wouldn't do, he'd give them something better. He got Aya's attention and patted the open seat between them. "Aya, you're much too far away," he said.

When Aya settled into the seat beside him, Shigure said none too softly "Take me to the movies tonight, we never go out anymore. I feel like an old married couple." Then he leaned close to whisper in Aya's ear "People are thinking Tohru's banging all three of us, gotta get that idea out of their heads." 

Ayame nodded imperceptibly then actually blushed when Shigure's tongue flicked his earlobe. "Not in public!" he said softly but loud enough to be heard. Aya was quite surprised that Shigure had done that, this was different than playing around Hatori.

Shigure smiled. Good, that was the desired effect. He'd known there was very little, if anything, he could say to make Ayame blush, so he had resorted to action instead of words. (Didn't actions always speak louder, anyway?)

Hatori, thankfully, missed the little show, but the gossips didn't. Shigure put his hand on Ayame's knee and winked at him, a sign that it had worked. A new round of whispering began. _"So that's how it is with those two, it _is_ the one in the suit." _Shigure grinned. He loved it when a plan came together. It worked well this way, too. Since it brought too much attention for all three of them to come, just Hatori would be accompanying Tohru next time, if the father wasn't 'around' by then.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Meanwhile...._

Tohru stood in line for the bathroom behind the young girl from the waiting area. The girl seemed to be doing better outside of her mother's oppressive demeanor. The girl held her head up and glanced at Tohru now and then. "You seem to be feeling better, is that your mother that came with you?" Tohru asked and smiled at her. 

The girl seemed surprised and said "Yes... uhm... is your husband with you?"

"I'm not married," Tohru said, unable to keep all the sadness from her voice.

"But those three..."

"They're some of the father's family, and good friends to be concerned and come with me so I wouldn't be alone." Tohru said.

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "Doesn't that make them your family, too?"

Tohru smiled warmly. "I guess it does."

"They're related? That must be some family!" The girl said. How was it possible for three such handsome, yet completely different men to be from one family?

"Hai, they're cousins, and yes, it's quite a family."

"Is the father that good looking?" The girl wanted to know.

"No," Tohru grinned as she thought of Kyo, "better."

"Better?" The girl's eyes grew wide.

"Well, I think so," Tohru said and added with a bow "I'm Tohru."

The girl returned the bow and said "Pleased to meet you, Tohru, I'm Kimiko."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru went back to the sitting area to wait for the actual exam. She was beginning to wonder if she'd be here all day. She was told to wait until her name was called again, and then she could bring the father back to speak with the doctor in his office. After that, the actual examination would take place in an adjoining room. Hatori had also explained the whole process to her several days earlier, but he hadn't mentioned how long it would take.

As she took her seat, this time between Hatori and Shigure, Tohru looked over and smiled at Kimiko, who smiled back. Sometimes simple, friendly chatting was enough to help someone feel better. This was hard enough for Tohru, and she had the support of three wonderful men along with her two best friends. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for a teenage girl whose mother was obviously not supportive. It was hard for Tohru to imagine a mother not being supportive in general, her mother had always been there for her and if she was here now, she'd be supportive. Tohru was sure of it.

"Hatori, when you've come here before, has it taken a long time?" Tohru asked causing Shigure to almost choke on the green tea he'd gotten from the vending machine. 

"What makes you think Hatori's been here before?" Shigure asked her before Hatori could answer.

"He said that he accompanies all the Sohma women on their first visit..." Tohru replied, puzzled. Shigure must not have known that.

"Really, Ha'ri?" Shigure said. So Hatori did care for Tohru, it was going to be so fun to tease him about it.

"We were here for a while, yes." Hatori replied, knowing he was going to catch hell later... for the lie to Tohru and for other things. He sighed. 'Why did they have to come along?' he thought, again. Now they were going to ask questions. If he had wanted this particular business aired, he would have done it a long time ago.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the doctor's office Tohru sat talking with Ayame, who was sitting in the other chair. Shigure and Hatori were standing somewhere behind her, talking in low tones. When the doctor entered they both came to stand behind her and she heard Hatori swear under his breath.

"I'm Dr. Tanaka, you must be Honda Tohru." He bowed slightly in greeting. "I must say it's quite unorthodox to have three men accompany one woman..." he trailed off, looking closer at Hatori. "Dr. Sohma? Well, well! How long has it been? And now you're bringing me a second young lady?" He grinned then abruptly sobered. "I was sorry to hear about Kana."

Tohru, Shigure, and Ayame had identical looks of shock but all three quickly recovered. Shigure looked at Ayame, but couldn't see his face. Had the snake known?

"It was a long time ago," Hatori said. 

"So..." Tanaka looked at the three men then at Tohru. "Who's the father?"

"I am" Shigure and Ayame said in unison. Tanaka's eyes grew wide.

"He's not here, Dr. Tanaka," Tohru answered.

"Oh, well how do you know the Sohma's?" the doctor asked, more than a little surprised.

"The father is another of my cousins," Hatori answered, his look telling Tanaka to get on with the appointment and not ask any more non-medical questions. 

Tanaka sighed inwardly. Still the same Hatori, even in med school he'd taken everything way too seriously. 

After Tanaka asked some questions and answered even more, the three Sohma's were instructed to wait in the office while Tohru went to the adjoining room for the actual exam.

*~*~*~*~*

When Tohru and the doctor left there was uncomfortable silence. 

"What are they going to do to her in there?" Ayame asked finally.

"It's called a vaginal scan, women don't like them but it allows for a more accurate check of the fetus before 16-20 weeks." Hatori answered in full doctor-mode.

"Did Kana have one?" Shigure asked softly.

Hatori winced as he heard the hurt in the dog's voice. Shigure was really saying 'We're your best friends, how could you not tell us that Kana had been pregnant?'

Hatori looked at Shigure and Ayame then focused on some distant point out the window. "We were going to tell you after... but then... and she lost the baby. There was nothing to tell, nothing to be done about it. Then time passed and I couldn't exactly bring it up."

"Tori, how many times do we have to tell you?" Ayame said with a degree of seriousness he only showed around these two, the two who had been his best friends since before he could remember. "There doesn't have to be something to do about it. Your pain is our pain, share it with us and we'll split it three ways." 

There was silence for a few minutes. "Well enough of that! There's only so much soberness a man can take in one day. I know who the father is, but I'm not telling!" Ayame declared.

* * *

Well this chapter wasn't exactly what I'd planned and it was certainly longer than I thought it would be. I both love and hate when that happens. ^_^; Hopefully the next chapter will be easier (and faster) to write. If I can get time away from homework to write. I also have my webpage to take care of, and a few new web projects that need my time. ::smiles:: I like making web graphics and things, makes me feel talented (even though Photoshop is the real talent, haha).

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	9. Miss Honda

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. They belong to Natsuki Takaya, but maybe if I went to her house and took my dog with me, she'd think my dog was so cute that she'd give me Kyo... or Shigure... or Ayame... or Hatori. Not in exchange, I couldn't give up my dog, but just cos my dog is so cute. 

**A/N**: I actually had this written Saturday night... it's all Viggo's fault that I didn't finish the editing until today, I just had to go see Hidalgo. Yeah that'll work. ^_^ I'm so happy! Sinnamonkat (who writes great fics, btw) noticed the A-Team line in the last chapter! I didn't think anyone would notice, I'm glad I'm not the only one around who likes that show. Also 6 points to shadowcat15 for being the first to know (and tell me) who "Aogiri" is and for getting the Ucchan's reference. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who knows Aogiri. ^_~ Am I a little crazy? Mwhahaha. Anyway... I'll never get this posted if I don't shut up. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, as usual, to Yuki The Rat for her great help, and also to Ry-chan for her help with this chapter and with the last.

Warning: There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 9: Miss Honda

*~*~*~*~*

'Aya's so cruel, knowing who the father is and not telling.' Shigure sighed and lit another cigarette, staring out at the dawn. 'I'll have to find out through other means. Maybe a trip to Tokyo is in order.' He smiled to himself, planning ways to embarrass the truth out of Yuki. If that didn't work, the truth could always be gotten out of Kyo. Shigure dismissed that option 'No, I like my head where it is'. 

Shigure thought it more likely that Yuki was the father, considering it would take nothing short of an act of God for Kyo to make a move. Although, hadn't Tohru said the 'other one' thought of her as a friend? That certainly wasn't Kyo, unless he had lied. The boy's feelings were as obvious as his hair color. Shigure smiled, except to Tohru. 

'What about Tohru's feelings?' He tried to remember how she acted around Yuki, how she acted around Kyo, things she'd done for them... it was obvious she loved them both, but which was love for a friend and which was more? With anyone else there would be a visible difference, but Tohru had so much love for everyone and was so caring that no difference could be seen. 'Or maybe I've never looked hard enough,' he thought.

"Shigure, aren't you coming back to bed?" 

"Hai, hai, my love" he said and put out his cigarette before returning to his lover's warmth. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Moshi moshi," Hana heard Tohru say as she answered the phone. "Oh, Yuki! .... Yes, I have time today. .... Okay, see you then, bye." Hana frowned. Tohru sounded so happy to hear from Yuki.

When Tohru turned around, Hana smiled and said "So Yuki's coming by?" 

"Yes, we're going out for dinner," Tohru said and looked nervous.

'Out for dinner' Hana thought with a tinge of jealousy, wasn't that a date? Why was Yuki taking Tohru on a date? Hana looked at her friend. "Tohru, are you ok?"

"I don't know how to tell him, Hana. What if he gets mad?"

Did that mean.... "Why would he be mad at you, Tohru?"

"Not at me – I better get dressed," she said and headed off to her room.

'Yuki wouldn't be mad at her... he'd be mad at someone else... the father... Yuki's not the father? So it is Orange Top?' Hana thought hopefully. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Yuki knocked on the door, Tohru answered and smiled at him, but looked uncomfortable. 'She knows... she has bad news... she hates me....' He started to get nervous, but told himself to calm down. He smiled back at her and said "You look lovely tonight, Miss Honda."

She blushed. "Yuki, you're gonna have to stop calling me that." 

"Why?" he asked as they left the apartment and headed down the hall. 

Tohru blushed deeper. What should she say? 'Having you call me Miss Honda like we're still in high school is strange when I'm standing next to you pregnant with Kyo's child, wishing I was Mrs. Sohma... having you call me Miss Honda reminds me that I'm not Mrs. Sohma and probably never will be.' No, she couldn't say that! 

"I might not always be 'Miss Honda'" she said simply.

Yuki blinked at her... was there something she had to tell him? The thought of Tohru married was one he avoided. Between living so far apart, his school, and her work, he already hardly ever saw her. If she was married, her husband would get most of her free time and might not understand that Yuki was just a friend. What kind of man wanted his wife hanging around other men? Let alone a man that she used to live with, who still had a fan club. 

Yuki noticed a strange expression on her face, what was she thinking? He studied her, something about her was different, but what? She still had a slight blush on her cheeks, which was nothing unusual. She was wearing her hair with clips instead of ribbons, but that wasn't unusual either, she'd been wearing it differently since they'd graduated. His gaze traveled down. She was wearing her coat unbuttoned and he could see a purple, flower-print dress underneath... wait, wasn't that one of her mom's old dresses that was big on her?

He stopped walking and touched her shoulder to turn her towards him. "What is it, Yuki? We're almost to the restaurant," she said.

"Tohru," he replied, using her name for the first time, "why won't you always be 'Miss Honda'?"

She smiled softly at him. "Because sometimes things change, Mom said things have to change or you never get anywhere. You'd be stuck, and no matter how scary change is, even though it sometimes hurts, being stuck hurts more. Other people change, and grow, and you're left behind. So sometimes you have to take the leap." 

"Did you take a leap, Tohru?" Yuki asked. 

"Yes."

"How did it turn out?"

"I'm not sure yet," she answered.

"Are you sorry you leapt?"

"No, and whatever happens, I'll never be sorry," she said and Yuki could see she was telling the truth.

"Thank you," he said.

She looked puzzled. "For what?"

"I... had a decision to make, and you just helped me make it." 

They had started walking again when Yuki remembered the dress she was wearing. Before he could ask her about it she said quietly, "Yuki, I lied to you, I'm so sorry."

They stopped walking and she turned to look at him, tears in her eyes. Yuki spied a bench nearby and led her over to it. Sitting down, he said "It's ok, no need to cry. Do you want to tell me?"

"Yes, I should have told you when you asked, but you assumed, and I.... I am in love with someone, and have been for a long time."

Yuki wiped a tear from her cheek. "I don't remember you lying about that..." something nagged at him, "is it someone I know?"

"Hai," she said as she looked at Yuki's beautiful face, searching for some sign that he was hurt or mad. 'Older, he looks even more like Ayame' she thought absently. Her hand fluttered unconsciously to her stomach as her thoughts drifted back to what Yuki's reaction would be.

Yuki noticed her movement and his mind clicked. She wouldn't be 'Miss Honda' forever... the dress... someone he knew... his eyes widened. He stood up abruptly saying "Baka neko! I'll kill him!" 

Yuki felt a touch on his elbow and looked down at Tohru. She looked startled, the hand on her stomach protective now. She pulled on his arm and he sat back down.

"I knew what I was doing," she said softly.

"How long have you two been...?" Yuki asked, almost not wanting the answer. Had she been with that stupid cat for years? It made sense, now that he thought about it. Why hadn't he seen it before? The way she used to spend so much time on the roof, her smile that was always a little different for Kyo, how she was willing to risk everything to keep him from being locked up....

She blushed. "O-only once."

'Once? Damn, gotta hand it to that cat. He must have been pretty excited... no, that's bad,' Yuki thought. Where had that come from? He'd been around Ayame too much lately. "Are you ok? Is that idiot taking responsibility?"

"I'm fine and... I haven't told him yet," she admitted. 

"Why not?"

"I haven't seen him since...." 

'He really is a baka neko,' Yuki thought. Kyo was about as opaque as glass, it was no secret that he wanted Tohru, that he was in love with her. Yuki (and probably everyone else, with the possible exception of Tohru herself) had known it for years. Kyo'd finally gotten up his nerve, was obviously not rejected... and he disappears? It didn't make sense, but now wasn't the time to dwell on the cat's stupidity.

"How long has it been?" Yuki asked.

"Twelve weeks," she answered.

That long? Yuki looked at her for a moment before standing up and holding out his hand. "Come on, let's get to the restaurant, you probably shouldn't be sitting out here in the cold."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the way back from dinner, Yuki couldn't stop looking at Tohru. She looked the same, she'd talked about the usual things while they ate, yet she was different. Was she happy about the baby? She would love the child and be a good mother, of that there was no doubt, but did she want to have a child at this point in her life? Was she ok being alone right now? He thought back to her first New Year at Shigure's. No matter what happened, she always smiled and got through it, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurting inside.

Yuki's thoughts drifted to the baby. A child that's a mixture of Kyo and Tohru... it was hard to imagine. Kyo certainly wouldn't have been Yuki's first choice for her (or second or third...), but she loved him (though Yuki couldn't figure out why). There was a time when the very idea of Tohru with Kyo would have been unimaginably painful, when Yuki had imagined silver-haired little girls with bright blue eyes and their mother's kindness, but that was before. 'When did things change?' he wondered. When he'd begun to have feelings for someone else? Or was it before? He didn't know, but it didn't matter.

The stupid cat... what if he didn't marry her? Kyo loved her, but that didn't mean the idiot would do the right thing. Would she be a single mother? Yuki couldn't let that happen. Tohru had always been there for him, he would be there for her, no matter what. When they finally reached the apartment building he took both her hands in his and dropped to one knee.

"Yuki, what are you doing?" She asked, pulling on his hands as a signal to stand up.

"Miss Honda, you shouldn't be alone, if that – if things don't work out, will you marry me?"

Tohru's eyes softened while the tears gathered. "I can't. I'll be fine. Don't you have someone? I couldn't take you away from her." Tohru wiped her tears and tugged on him again.

He stood. "If that cat hurts you, he'll answer to me."

Tohru smiled and reached up to touch Yuki's face, "I know."

He kissed her hand then leaned down to gently kiss her cheek. Tohru's smile brightened, he was still a prince. Before he could pull back she put her hand behind his neck, holding his face close so she could whisper to him "Thank you, Yuki. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have such good friends." She kissed his cheek before letting him go. 

It was then that Tohru noticed a cloaked figure watching them from across the street. "Hana?" she questioned. Yuki turned around, his eyes following her gaze.

Hana stood across the street, her cloak billowing though there was no breeze. Her eyes were wide and it looked like she was crying. Hana rarely cried, if ever. What had happened? Tohru started towards her friend, but Yuki stopped her. "I'll go. It's cold, go on up," he said, never taking his eyes from Hana.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tohru watched from her living room window as Yuki talked with Hana across the street. Tohru was surprised when Hana suddenly took Yuki's face in her hands and kissed him. Yuki kissed her back and Tohru smiled.

* * *

Uhmm... yeah. Another question answered. ^_~

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	10. A New Tactic

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. I have a dream... but they still belong to Natsuki Takaya.

**A/N**: OMG I can't believe this is chapter 10! @_@ And it's exactly 2100 words, how good am I? hahaha! That's all the note I have for now, I'm tired. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you always brighten my day and all the wonderful comments have kept me going. ^_^ Also thanks to my dear friends Elf and YTR for always making me feel so loved! YTR also deserves much thanks for her help and suggestions. 

** Warning****:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 10: A New Tactic

*~*~*~*~*

Kyo sat against the wall in the large training room at the dojo, staring blankly out the open doorway. It was lunchtime and he was hungry, but he couldn't find the will to move. This was how it was, he'd gotten used to it. He would be fine, able to push away the unwanted thoughts and memories, until something reminded him or the air became too quiet. Then everything would rush to the surface and he would sit, immobile, until he fell asleep or something brought him out of it.

Kazuma appeared in the doorway and frowned. He took a few steps forward and made a silly face. No reaction. His son was a zombie again, and though it had been happening less frequently lately, it was still worrisome. What had happened? He'd tried to get Kyo to open up to him countless times, but to no avail. There was only one thing that could drive a man this crazy: a woman. 

It didn't add up, though. There was only one woman Kyo cared for enough to garner this reaction, and that was Tohru. She chose someone else? Tohru loved Kyo, why would she choose someone else? No matter how many times Kazuma thought it over he always came to the same conclusion. She wouldn't choose someone else, for it wasn't in Tohru's nature to ever be with one person when she loved another. Therefore, whatever it was, it had to be a misunderstanding.

Kazuma looked down at Kyo. If he was in such a state, certainly Tohru was upset also. A misunderstanding or fight was one thing, this was getting ridiculous. 

Kazuma'd been patient for over two months, watching his son suffer, but he couldn't stand to watch any longer. He was a martial artist, a man of action, it was unnatural for him to sit back and do nothing. How he had ever let his wife talk him into the 'let him be and he'll figure it out' approach was beyond comprehension. Women! 

It was time to change tactics. Obviously Kyo wasn't going to come to his senses on his own, and he wasn't talking to either his father or Tohru. Kazuma's battle aura began to glow. That boy would talk to one of them, whether he liked it or not, for his own good, and for Tohru's. 

Mind made up, Kazuma headed off to get Kyo's lunch.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kyo shivered involuntarily as he remembered that day. He had been sitting in a tree but it had felt like he was on top of the world. Tohru was his and he would make short work of that damn rat... but he had assumed too much. Tohru wasn't his, had never been his, and he had been a fool to ever think otherwise. 

When she had... Kyo had thought that meant she cared for him, wanted him, and maybe even loved him. This was Tohru, she wouldn't... if she didn't... but she had. When he'd woken up that morning, with his head on her stomach and her fingers wrapped in his hair, he'd never felt so good, so alive, so much at peace. Then he'd remembered his reason for being there.

The night before he'd found out that his win over Yuki had been a fake and it was all Tohru's doing, she had talked the rat into losing on purpose. Kyo hadn't been sure how he was expected to feel, should he be grateful? He was glad he wasn't locked up, but grateful was far from what he felt. He felt... betrayed. Didn't she trust him? Didn't she have any faith in him? Did she think so little of him, that there was no way he could beat Yuki? ... 'Was that really fair?' Kyo wondered. Shouldn't he just be glad for his freedom and leave it at that?

No, he couldn't leave it, he needed answers. It felt like he'd been living a lie for four years. The confidence and self-respect he had gained, the acknowledgement from the Sohma's... it was all a lie. He'd been able to hold his head up when he saw Tohru, even be bold enough to take her hand or touch her shoulder, but that too was a lie. 

He'd come to Tohru's in the middle of the night, upset and unthinking, but in the morning light things were different. He idly ran his hand along her thigh and smiled. It didn't matter why she'd done it, he was free, he was here with her, and she'd given herself to him. Well... his smile widened, more like she'd taken him. Not that he minded. She could have him anytime, anywhere she wanted, hopefully on a daily basis. 

His smile faded. What was he thinking? He wasn't even sure how she felt about him and here he was, already living with her in his mind. The truth was he didn't want to leave, to move, he could lay there with her forever. But he didn't deserve to. He was cursed. Even worse, he was the cat, the outcast. "Beating" Yuki hadn't changed that, it had just kept Kyo from being locked up and gotten him a little acknowledgement, he was allowed attend the New Year's banquet. Even attending he was an outsider, forced to remain at the edge of the room and watch silently. It was worse than not attending at all.

Sure, she'd wanted him last night, but how would she react when she woke up and realized he was cuddled (as much as possible) to her naked body? When she realized what they'd done, exactly where his hand was now resting? Did she want to be the cat's lover, the cat's girlfriend... the cat's wife? Would she want to be with someone who couldn't even win a fight on his own? 

He couldn't ask her. He knew what he had to do, he would train hard and beat Yuki for real, and then he would be someone she could respect, someone she could be proud to call 'husband'. First living together and now married? His mind was definitely moving fast. He sat up, careful not to wake her. 

He looked at her sleeping face, she was so beautiful. His eyes traveled over the rest of her. Every inch of her was beautiful, perfect even. His mind may be moving fast, but was that really so bad? He'd known for a long time that he wanted to be with her forever.

As he watched her sleep the desire grew to feel her against him, in his arms, if just for a moment. He lay down and wrapped his arms around her, trying to memorize the exquisite feeling that would only last half a second. *poof* 'That was worth being a cat for a little while,' he thought as he waited to change back.

*poof* He looked at Tohru who had slept through both transformations. Good, he couldn't face her, not yet, but neither did he want to leave. After watching her a few minutes more he got up and dressed. He then left a note and kissed her gently before leaving.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Kyo had returned from training a week earlier than expected he'd gone straight to Tokyo. That's where he was, sitting in a tree by Yuki's apartment building waiting to ambush the rat, when the world fell apart. 

It was very early morning, before dawn, and Kyo noticed a light was on in Yuki's apartment. A shadow moved at the window, what was the rat doing up at this hour? He hated mornings. As Kyo continued to watch he could make out two shapes, one of them female. Oh, so that's it, the rat wasn't alone. Kyo snorted. It figured, with Yuki's fan club and not having roommates to deal with, he probably had them lined up around the block to spend the night with him. It didn't make Kyo jealous, though. Yuki may have every female (and some males) between fourteen and thirty-five falling at his feet, but he didn't have Tohru.

Kyo watched as the two shadows merged into one. He could see hands moving to caress before the female shadow dropped to her knees. Kyo turned away. He did _not_ need those images.

*~*~*~*~*

Kyo stretched as he woke up. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. It was light out and he was in a tree... he looked to Yuki's windows. Had he left already? Kyo sighed, would he have to wait here all day for the damn rat to come back?

A few minutes later Kyo smiled when the thin curtain was pushed aside and Yuki appeared in the window. 'Good, I didn't miss him,' Kyo thought. When Yuki retreated into the room Kyo turned his attention to the entrance of the apartment building. Yuki had class today, so he should be leaving soon.

Ten minutes later Kyo was startled when he saw Tohru leaving the apartment building. No, it couldn't be. He closed his eyes and looked again. There was no mistake, it was Tohru. Kyo's heart stopped, she was... she was... glowing. NO!

His heart screamed out to her. He wanted to go to her, stop her, make her tell him it was his imagination, she hadn't.... How could she? That wasn't the Tohru he knew... but how could he deny it? He'd seen it with his own eyes. 

Had she been sleeping with Yuki... or even Shigure too... and for how long? No, this was Tohru! Did she have a split personality or something? That was a crazy thought. Was she in love with Yuki? Most girls were... 'Did she think I was Yuki that night? But she used my name....' 

'Why would she make love to me and then...' Kyo asked himself and a little voice gave him the only answer that made any sense. 'She didn't make love to you, she fucked you. There's a difference. She's probably been sleeping with Yuki all along but he wasn't there that night, you were. She feels sorry for you, the poor cat that was so easily tricked, so easily trusting... same as you are now. Most likely she thought she was doing you a favor, some twisted way to make the little virgin cat feel better.'

As much as Kyo didn't want to believe it... that would explain her behavior. He couldn't be here, he had to leave. He jumped down from the tree and ran off towards the train station.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Kyo?" Kazuma questioned, holding out a plate of food.

Kyo slowly focused on his father's face then looked down at the food. He sighed. Why did it have to be onigiri? When he took the plate and grunted Kazuma smacked him on the head. "Sorry, thanks," Kyo amended.

"What happened with Tohru?" Kazuma asked as he sat down. 

Kyo was surprised, this was the first time his master had mentioned Tohru in the nine weeks they'd been back from the mountain. What was there to say? 'I'm an idiot because I slept with her and thought it meant something? I was in heaven and she was just using me? I saw her...' he couldn't even say in his thoughts what he'd seen her do. 

He wished Kazuma would just give up. All the questions were beyond annoying, and what gave him the right to ask about Tohru like he knew everything? Kyo was doing ok, why couldn't he just be left alone already? "Damn it! How many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine!" Kyo yelled.

"I didn't ask if you were fine," Kazuma replied calmly.

Kyo opened his mouth but didn't say anything. That wasn't the usual reaction to one of his outbursts. Unsure of what to think about it, he leaned back against the wall and took another rice ball.

"You can talk to me," Kazuma said.

"I know."

"Then why don't you?"

Kyo thought for a moment. "There's nothing to say that will change anything."

"You're right, there's nothing you can say to me that will change anything... but I bet there's things you could say to her."

Kyo looked sad as he said "None of that would change anything either."

"I've never seen you run away from a fight before," Kazuma remarked, expecting Kyo to jump up while yelling something to the effect of 'The hell I ran away!'

Kyo surprised him by saying softly "Yeah, well, maybe I've finally grown up and realized when to quit."

Kazuma laid a hand on his son's shoulder. So that didn't work, time for phase two.

* * *

I'm not sure what Kazuma's normal reaction to Kyo's outbursts is, I wanted to get this posted so didn't take the time to find out first. Maybe I'll change it if I find out staying calm is his normal reaction, or I'll just leave it because, you know, Akito doesn't have the power in this story... I do. ::evil grin:: (Well and Shigure, too, when he takes over, but he didn't do that this chapter. No girls, guess he found it boring.)

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	11. Phase Two

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. If I ever win the lottery, think I can buy Kyo from Natsuki Takaya?

**A/N**: I haven't dropped off the face of the planet! ::does her best impression of the Hot Springs Lady:: Gomen nasai! GOMEN NASAI! I'm sorry this chapter took... what, three weeks? (Or something like that.) ^_^;; I hope I still have some readers! I was very busy with school and some other things that were going on, so I just didn't have the time to write. I will finish this story, and I'm not going to forget about it... though there may be times like this where the next chapter takes me a while. Probably the next update will take more than a week also. I have one more week and then finals, so I'm gonna be really busy. I am going to try to get back, as soon as possible, to a chapter a week (or even do more than that if I can swing it). Anyway, hope this chapter is worth the wait. ^_^ As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed! 100 reviews, wow! I feel so spiffy! Big thanks to Yuki The Rat for her support, suggestions, and friendship. ^_^

** Warning****:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

*~*~*~*~*

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 11: Phase Two

*~*~*~*~*

"Hana, you won't believe how much stuff we got for the baby," Tohru said as she followed Ayame into her apartment, arms laden with packages.

"Why something so little needs..." Tohru started but trailed off when instead of seeing Hana, she saw Kazuma. "K-Kazuma!" Tohru looked around, "Where's Hana?"

'Tohru's pregnant?' Kazuma thought with surprise as her words and the children's store logos on the packages registered. 'That could explain some things.' He looked Tohru over. Her coat was open and she was wearing a dress cut to disguise it, but he'd seen enough pregnant mothers dropping their children off at the dojo to recognize the signs. Still, she wasn't very round and he mightn't have noticed if he'd not been looking for it. 

Did Kyo know? Was the baby Kyo's? Since Kazuma knew Tohru loved Kyo, he couldn't imagine her being with someone else... but then why was Kyo so upset? Usually spending the night with the woman you loved was a good thing, and surely if Kyo knew about the baby (and it was his) he would be happy... wouldn't he? Kazuma looked at Ayame, who was looking at Tohru with concern. Why was she shopping with him? Surely Ayame wasn't... Kazuma remembered Tohru's question.

"Sorry to surprise you like this. Hana had to go and didn't think you'd mind if I waited here. Urgent business in Tokyo, I think it was", Kazuma replied. 

Ayame snickered, urgent "business" indeed. Well, it was one way to keep busy. 

"Oh..." Tohru said, but was unable to continue. Had Kyo sent Kazuma here? That didn't seem likely. Kazuma wasn't stupid, after her earlier comment he must know she was pregnant. What would he say? What would he tell Kyo? 'If Kazuma tells Kyo, then I won't have to, and I won't have to see the look on his face when... no, don't be cowardly,' she told herself.

"Ah, Kazuma, it's been too long!" Ayame broke the momentary silence. "What brings you here? Lucky-Kyo hasn't gotten himself hurt, has he? That would be quite unfortunate when he's finally earned his name." Ayame said with a wink and laughed at his own joke. 

'So it is Kyo's, I shouldn't have doubted,' Kazuma thought as he watched Tohru turn bright red and look at Ayame with surprise. What was the surprise for? Surely she was used to Aya by now. 

A mischievous look came over Ayame's face as he added "And tell Kyo not to worry, we didn't get anything that will clash with the baby's orange hair." At that, Tohru looked like she was going to fall over. 

Kazuma guided Tohru over to the couch and sat her down. "Are you ok?" he asked. She looked at him and nodded her head, then turned to Ayame.

"H-How did you know?" 

"My dear little brother, naturally, came seeking my wisdom and expertise with women... and so I knew the two of you were not involved. I have not told anyone, aside from Kazuma here because I value my manhood, though I do love reminding Gure that I know and he doesn't," Ayame admitted with an evil grin. "Are you upset that I told?" 

"No, it's ok Ayame. Kazuma, please don't tell Kyo." Tohru said.

Kazuma saw the uncertainty on her face and guessed at its cause. So Kyo didn't know and Tohru was worried about his reaction. What was his baka son's problem? And for her to be uncertain of the reaction... did Tohru still not know that Kyo loved her? 

What's more, if Kyo didn't know then it was unlikely that anyone had told Akito. That would be trouble. "I won't tell Kyo... but you should. And as much as I hate to bring this up, Akito will need to be told also. Keeping something like this from him isn't a good idea. He _will_ find out and only be angrier at the attempt to keep it from him."

Ayame saw the fear in Tohru's eyes and said "Really, Kazuma, that apocalyptic attitude has got to go. Akito is not omniscient, no matter what he may want you to believe."

It was then that Kazuma saw the fear in Tohru's eyes. He immediately felt bad for bringing it up. No matter how much the issue _did_ need to be addressed, it could wait a little bit and be addressed in a more delicate manner. "Don't worry Tohru, no harm will be allowed to come to you, the baby, or Kyo."

"Exactly... now I must be going, Mine is going to wonder if I've been kidnapped! You two have a nice talk, and no more nonsense, Kazuma! See you next weekend, Tohru!" Ayame exclaimed and left with his usual flourish.

*~*~*~*~*

Kazuma sat in silence for a few moments after Ayame's departure. "When is the baby due?" He asked to try and lighten the mood.

Tohru smiled a little, "June."

Good, she looked more relaxed now. He did a quick calculation. It was the beginning of December, so she was about three months pregnant. Three months ago... that was around the last time he'd gone to the mountains with Kyo. He should have known. Kyo had seemed so happy in the mountains and when they'd gotten back the depression started. 

Then the thought hit him and Kazuma smiled suddenly. He was going to be a grandfather! 'Though Meiko might not be so happy to be a grandmother, even through marriage,' he thought as he imagined his wife's startled expression. Well, that's what she gets for marrying a man with a (then) nineteen year old son.

"Is Kyo ok?" Tohru asked softly. She wanted to ask if Kyo thought about her, if he missed her, but she couldn't.

'No,' Kazuma thought, but should he tell Tohru that? Not until he had a better idea of what had upset Kyo, for if it was something Tohru had done, even inadvertently, she would never forgive herself to know how upset he was from it. 

Kazuma answered her question with one of his own. "Why haven't you told him, Tohru?" 

She looked down at her hands where they lay in her lap and decided to be honest with Kazuma. "I-I wanted... then I found a note that said he had to go away for training and would be back in a month. But he never came back, and I don't know why. I don't know how he feels and I don't want to force him, trap him. If I tell him and he doesn't... I don't know if I could take seeing the look on his face."

"Do you love him?" 

"With all my heart," Tohru admitted.

'What can I say?' Kazuma asked himself. The baby was Kyo's and she still loved him, which was no explanation of why Kyo was so depressed. It had to be a misunderstanding, it just had to be. "Do you trust me?" he asked of her.

She looked at him curiously. "Yes."

"Then come to the dojo this week. Kyo's... you don't have to tell him if you're not ready, just talk to him."

"Hai," she acquiesced.

"Now," Kazuma said, "what are you going to name my grandchild?" 

"Actually, I haven't though of any names for him yet." Tohru said with a tiny blush. She probably should be thinking about it, but somehow it didn't seem right to think of names without Kyo.

"They could tell it's a boy already?"

Tohru blushed a little more. "No, but I feel that it is."

"How about Kazuma, then?" He said with a big smile.

Tohru smiled back at him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They had a nice talk during the afternoon. Tohru made dinner and Kazuma couldn't help but think what a perfect nickname "Lucky Kyo" was for his son. Kazuma hoped Kyo would talk to her, for he believed that whatever the misunderstanding was, it would be worked out if they could get over their respective "reasoning" and talk. 

Phase two had been simple: talk to Tohru in order to find out why Kyo is so upset. And now, as Kazuma made his way back to the dojo, he still didn't know exactly why, but he had done something to help.

When Kazuma arrived home he stood in the shadows and watched his son work through his evening routine. Kyo should marry Tohru, but was the boy – no, the man – ready to be a husband? Beyond that, was he ready to be a father? As Kazuma looked at Kyo, he knew his son was a man and yet he still saw the little boy who loved riding on his shoulders. Kazuma smiled tenderly at the image that came to mind of Kyo with a little orange-haired boy on his shoulders.

Would his son make a good father? Kazuma hoped he'd done well enough to serve as an example. He thought back to the beginner's classes, filled with small children, that Kyo taught. Kazuma smiled proudly. Yes, his son would make an excellent father.

Kazuma had a twinkle in his eye as he walked up silently behind Kyo and blocked his next kick. 

Kyo leapt backwards and shouted "Oi! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Stay focused and I won't be able to," Kazuma replied in the tone reserved for his students.

"Oh, that's it! You're going down, old man!"

They sparred well into the night. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

'Why did I agree to this?' Tohru asked herself as she walked along the quiet street, the butterflies in her stomach fighting like mad for freedom. 

She smoothed her coat and looked down at herself for the hundredth time. With her new, bigger coat buttoned, her slightly rounded belly was hidden, wasn't it? 

Tohru fingered the soft, peach wool of the coat, an Ayame Sohma original. He'd really outdone himself this time. Ayame'd been coming over every weekend with more maternity clothes for her, and Tohru had a feeling he was really enjoying himself. He said he liked the challenge and he'd never known working with so much fabric at once could be so fulfilling. Tohru secretly thought it would be a fitting side business for him, considering his main line of work.

She looked up to find herself in front of the sign that read "Sohma Dojo" and the butterflies started their fight anew. She'd been here before, but it never failed to impress her with its high wall and large doors. It was like something out of the Meiji Era and probably was that old.

It was early and the doors were still shut for the night. 'I thought it would take longer to get here, maybe I shouldn't have come so early, I don't want to bother him... I'll come back later,' and she started to turn away before stopping herself. 'No, I'm here now, this is it.'

She pushed the small button at the side of the door and a faint buzz sounded from the other side of the wall. Over a minute later as she was wondering if she should buzz again she heard a click and one of the doors began to creak as it was slowly pulled open.

"Master Sohma is on vacation so classes have been cancelled for the week, I'm sorry if you didn't get the notice." Kyo's voice came through the widening gap between the doors. 

Tohru's breath caught in her throat at the sound of his voice. When the door was opened and there he was, looking at her as if she might be a figment of his imagination, she saw that he didn't look too well. Had he been having nightmares again? 

"Kyo," she breathed, and her heart ached.

* * *

I don't know what dojo's in Japan really look like or if Kazuma's is ever pictured in the manga. In my mind the Sohma Dojo looks a lot like the Kamiya dojo in Kenshin. (I probably can't spell "Kamiya".)

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	12. Assurances

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. I invite them over, but they always go home to Natsuki Takaya.

**A/N**: For anyone who's thought the story had ended or I wasn't going to update... unless there's a big "The End" after the chapter, the story WILL go on! It just might be a little while. ;; Sorry, again, for the s-l-o-w update. I started a new semester and a new job this week, but hopefully now that I have more than the weekends off I'll be able to at least get back to my old schedule of one chapter a week. As always, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I always appreciate your comments and they help keep me going when I get writer's block (as happened with this chapter). Special thanks to YTR and Elf, without you guys this chapter would either still not be written or it would be really bad. (Umm... I hope it's not bad as-is.)

**_SPECIAL NOTE AND WARNING:_** This chapter contains my first lemon! I have edited the ff .net version, but media miner .org has full lemon content! (Such as it is.) I do think the lemon-version is better, but PLEASE do not read it if you are under, say, 16-17. I don't want to be responsible for corrupting the youth of America (uh, or other countries). Search for author The Smiling Onigiri (with spaces) in media miner .org's Fruits Basket fanfiction section to find the story (which is rated R... or is it NC-17?... over there).

**Warning:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

**_ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE:_** Due to another story of mine being reported, I have looked over this one for anything that might be considered NC-17, and therefore I edited some (more) stuff out of this chapter and reposted. I may even change the story's rating to R just to be even safer. If you'd like to read the whole version of the chapter, it can be found at mm-org under the same author name, The Smiling Onigiri (and I believe the whole story is rated NC-17 there for some stuff in later chapters, but I can't really remember).

--------------

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 12: Assurances

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They had been standing looking at each other in the crisp morning air for what seemed like an eternity. Tohru jumped a little when Kyo suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her within the dojo. She looked up at him and breathed deeply of his aftershave as he leaned in to lock the door behind her.

After closing and locking the door, Kyo kept his hand against it and took a step forward, forcing Tohru to press her back against the old wood or hold an irate orange cat. Tohru watched his right hand as it moved in seeming slow motion to rest on the door. He leaned in, a hand on either side of her shoulders, effectively trapping and surrounding her. Her eyes followed his right hand up to a bare, muscular forearm, wide shoulders, and the smooth skin of his chest that was not covered by the tan karate shirt. He was breathing deeply. She must have interrupted his morning routine, was he mad? It had always upset him when his morning workout was interrupted.

Kyo leaned on the door for support as he caught the gardenia scent of Tohru's favorite shampoo. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes remembering times that scent had haunted him, lingering in the bathroom eliciting visions of Tohru pouring water over her bare, pale flesh. Such images came to mind now, unbidden, followed by memories. (edited)

Tohru was too focused on resisting the urge to touch him to notice he had moved until his fingers were on her chin and he was tilting her head up to look at him. She looked into his eyes and saw something there she hadn't caught but glimpses of before. Especially not here, like this, in the light of day. She was suddenly reminded of a cat stalking its prey as he leaned down to capture her lips.

Neither of them closed their eyes as they kissed, lightly at first, then with a passion that grew with each synchronized beat of their hearts. Tohru's hands went to Kyo's chest as he stepped forward another half step, the risk of transformation momentarily forgotten. (edited)

Tohru leaned heavily into the door and closed her eyes as her knees began to weaken and Kyo's hands found her chest. He unbuttoned her coat just enough for his hands to eagerly find their way underneath the soft material. His tongue, which had been deliciously exploring her mouth, stilled for a moment. 'He noticed!' Tohru thought in a momentary panic. 'He'll stop... distract him,' she began to suck gently on his tongue (edited)

Kyo stilled as his hands found her breasts. They hadn't been this big before, he was sure of it. Why would they be bigger? He was about to pull back when he felt her hand at his waistband. Questions could wait. He left her lips and trailed kisses down her neck to the top of her dress. He smiled against her skin when he found that the dress also buttoned in front. He began to undo the buttons but they were small and this was not a time for patience, (edited). He pulled, ripping the buttons almost to her navel.

(edited)

(edited)

Kyo momentarily wished he'd taken Shigure and Ayame up on their long-ago offer to verse the younger boys with their vast experience on the do's and don'ts of Juunishi sexual liaisons.

(edited)

Their hot breath puffed in the cold that neither felt.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyo awoke feeling calm and well-rested for the first time in months. He looked around his dimly lit room, was it evening or early morning? Had he slept all day? Memories of the day came to him. No, they must be dreams, good dreams. First Tohru showed up at the dojo and they... right there, outside in the cold. Then they were inside, right here in his bed.

'Wait...' Kyo thought to himself when he pushed the covers back, 'why am I in bed in just my martial arts pants?' There was a noise downstairs and he stiffened. What was that? Kazuma and Meiko were away... there it was again. Someone was in the kitchen?

Kyo threw a shirt on and crept silently downstairs. As he was approaching the kitchen he glanced by the back door to see a peach wool coat hanging next to his. A coat exactly like the one Tohru had been wearing in his dream. His heart began to beat faster as he crept closer to the kitchen doorway. He heard the steady sound of a knife hitting the cutting board. Someone was chopping something. He looked at the peach coat hanging innocently across the hall. Tohru was chopping something.

It wasn't a dream. Tohru was in the kitchen making dinner and earlier they had.... What had come over him? Why had he done that? Why had Tohru let him do that? Why had she come here? Shadowy images seen through a lightly curtained window in early morning Tokyo came flooding back. Was the damn rat away, so she'd come here instead? Is that what she did, show up early in the morning, fuck you into exhaustion, and then make dinner?

Kyo felt the ache in his chest growing as he walked into the kitchen. Hearing him, she turned and smiled awkwardly. "Dinner will be ready soon," she said as she poured chopped celery into a steaming pot on the stove. "Soup, it will warm you," she added.

'You can warm me,' Kyo thought despite himself but the ache only grew as he looked at her face. He said bitterly "Do you make dinner afterwards for all your lovers?"

She blinked and stared at him, the shock and pain evident on her beautiful face. Kyo was immediately sorry, why didn't he ever think before he spoke? The words were out, though, he couldn't take them back, might as well see where they took him. He watched as tears began to gather in her eyes and she looked as if she was fighting for every breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and a single tear traced down her cheek.

"Why?" she asked simply, the one word all she could get out.

"I saw you," Kyo answered and she saw the pain in his eyes.

"Saw me?"

"Through the window, in Tokyo," Kyo said, unable to voice exactly what he had seen.

'Tokyo?' Tohru thought, 'Yuki? But I've never....' She studied Kyo's face for a moment. 'He thinks I have. Is that why he stayed away?' She took a few steps toward him and looked him straight in the eye as she said "Whatever you saw, it wasn't me."

A flicker of hope began to surface, but Kyo had to be sure. "It wasn't you?"

"It wasn't me."

"You've never – with him?"

"Only you," she answered.

Kyo looked as if a weight had been lifted as he closed the distance between them. Unable to take her in his arms, he put his hands on her shoulders and said uncharacteristically "I'm sorry, I saw... and then I saw you and I thought... can you ever for-" Tohru leaned up and stopped his lips with a quick kiss.

"Is that why you didn't come back?" She asked for assurance.

"Yes," he admitted. She was so beautiful and it struck him that he didn't have to hold back, he could touch her. She had really allowed him, the stupid cat, to touch her. He trailed a finger from her forehead to the tip of her nose, across one cheek, then the other, and finally across her bottom lip. He watched her eyes for any sign of disgust but there was none. He trailed his finger down her neck to the top of her dress and noticed as he did that it was held together with three safety pins, tantalizing glimpses of skin and bra showing between the pins. 'What happened to the buttons? Did I do that? ... Oops,' he thought with no remorse and smiled mischievously.

He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her languidly. He felt no urgency, no need to back her against the counter or touch more than her hair. He was enjoying kissing her and the sensations of her kissing back when she abruptly pulled away.

"What do you think of Kazuma?" she asked.

Kyo looked at her, puzzled. "He's my master, my father," he answered and began to lower his head back to hers.

She put her fingers to his mouth and stopped him. "No, the name, what do you think of the name?"

Kyo was even more confused as he looked down at her. What on Earth was she talking about? "Name for what?" he asked.

"Your s-" Tohru began but was cut off when the back door was thrown open and a familiar voice called "KYO, MY DARLING, DON'T TRY TO HIDE, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!"

"Kagura," Kyo whispered and looked down at Tohru's disheveled appearance. This was going to be bad.

* * *

Yeah... another cliffhanger, eh? It's just too good, I had to end it there and I'm not sorry! MWHA-HAHAHAHAHA!

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I don't know if I could take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) I proofread it myself, which is hard to do, so there's probably still some errors (though I hope not so many that it's hard to read). Please let me know of any glaring errors and I'll fix 'em.


	13. Force Of Habit

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. Oh, to be Natsuki Takaya for a day!

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You've really helped motivate me. :-) Sorry if this chapter isn't up to my usual standard with grammar and all, I'm tired. Special thanks, as always, to my dear friend YTR.

** Warning****:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

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"The Journey Home"

Chapter 13: Force Of Habit

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Kagura entered the kitchen with a flourish almost worthy of Ayame and stopped mid-attack when she saw that Kyo wasn't alone. She paused for a moment, a strange expression coming over her face. She looked from Kyo to Tohru and back again, noting Kyo's worried expression (as if he was about to meet up with the hangman's noose). She continued to look at Tohru, taking in every detail from head to toe. Then, suddenly, she smiled and said "Well, well, it's about time you two came to your senses. Damn and my money was on 2010, looks like Momiji won the pot."

There was an almost audible thud as Kyo's jaw hit the floor. "Wha – wha..." he stammered while Tohru blushed and said "Kagura, what a happy surprise, it's been too long! Have you eaten? Won't you join us for dinner? It's just some soup, nothing special, but I'd love for you to stay."

"I would love to, if it's your soup it must be delicious and it has been too long. But I don't want to intrude, it looks like your Kyo would rather have you to himself," Kagura said with a chuckle causing Tohru to blush a deeper hue.

"Just what are you implying... and are you feeling ok?" Kyo asked.

Kagura looked pointedly from Tohru's dress to Kyo's mismatched clothes. He never wore his karate pants except when training or teaching. The fact that he was wearing them now, with a plain black t-shirt, showed that he had either been preoccupied or hurried when he'd gotten dressed. Kagura guessed the former.

"I'm perfectly fine, Kyo... just what have you two been up to?" she countered.

Kyo blushed a brighter red than Kagura had ever seen on him then took her by the arm and led her out of the kitchen, calling behind "Excuse us, we'll be right back."

The second they reached the living room Kyo said harshly, "Alright, out with it and if you're going to hit me, then hit me."

"Out with what? Why would I hit you, I love you." Kagura said innocently, knowing full well what he meant.

"You are infuriating! I don't understand you. You're constantly chasing after me, telling me of your undying love. Now you find me here with Tohru and say 'it's about time'... whatever you really want to say, Tohru's not here, so just say it."

"Kyo," Kagura said and touched his cheek. "Remember that night, in the rain, when Kazuma took your bracelet?"

"I will never forget it."

"I realized then, when she could do the one thing I couldn't, that though I love you with all my heart, I am not the one for you. I cannot make you happy, but she can. And I have fallen in love with someone else."

Kyo gawked at her. "Who? Why have you still chased after me for all these years?"

"Call it force of habit," Kagura said and smiled, pulling him back to the kitchen and ignoring his other question.

--------------------------------------------

During the meal, Kagura watched the interaction between Kyo and Tohru. Outwardly it was the same as always, yet there was something different between them. Kyo still teased, but there was a softness that hadn't been there before. Tohru still apologized, but there was an added strength. Kagura smiled, glad that Kyo finally seemed happy.

When she'd heard from Meiko that Kyo was depressed and had been left at the dojo alone, she had immediately come over, hoping to at least take his mind off it. It was a relief to find Tohru here, to find him doing well. Although Kagura was no longer in love with Kyo, he would always be her first love, always hold a special place in her heart. As such, it wasn't entirely painless to see him with Tohru, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle and she would get over it. Her lover would certainly help with that. She smiled, planning to pay him a visit tonight.

Kagura noted something else while they ate. Tohru seemed to be eating a lot and she looked... heftier, more substantial, though not heavy, exactly. After dinner, Kagura told Kyo to go relax while she and Tohru took care of the dishes. It was an excuse to talk to Tohru alone. First, Kagura took the opportunity to study her. Something was definitely different.

When she realized what it was, Kagura stopped drying the bowl she held and said "Does Kyo know?"

"No, I started to tell him but...." Tohru wasn't surprised that Kagura had figured it out. She had, in fact, expected it.

"He is the father, isn't he?" Kagura whispered, not wanting Kyo to hear in the next room.

"Of course," Tohru replied, not offended.

"Just wanted to double-check, several Sohmas are of the opinion that you're in love with Yuki. What about Yuki? I know he used to have a crush on you."

Tohru smiled a little. "He's with my friend Hana."

"Really? Good. Kyo has you, Yuki has Hana, Haru and Rin are together again... I'm sure Kisa and Hiro will be when they get a little older... so that just leaves Ritsu and Momiji unattached. Well, there is the Trio, but I think they just need each other." Kagura said with a laugh that did not reach her eyes.

"What about you, Kagura?" Tohru asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. That dress hides it perfectly. It looks very nice on you, and I've never seen one like it." Kagura said as she dried the last dish.

Tohru looked down at the black dress with small white flowers that Aya had designed for her. "Thank you, Ayame made it for me."

"Aya knows?" Kagura asked, surprised. Tohru had told Ayame, but hadn't told Kyo?

"Hai... he found out."

"Who else knows?"

"Hana, Uo, Shigure, Hatori, and Yuki... I hadn't planned to tell them all, it just happened...."

"Why didn't you tell Kyo first?" Kagura asked, a little upset that seven people should know before he did.

"I was afraid to tell him, but I'm here now." Tohru admitted.

"I can understand that," Kagura said with a knowing look in her eyes. Then she hugged Tohru, "I'm sure the baby will be beautiful and you'll be an excellent mother. Tell him soon, okay?"

Tohru was about to agree when Kyo's voice came from the doorway "Tell who what?"

Tohru looked a little panicked so Kagura rescued her saying "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Thanks for dinner, Tohru. I'm going to go now, you two have fun." She said with a wink.

A few moments later she came back to the kitchen with her coat on and a mischievous expression on her face. "Kyo, my darling, I better get a wedding invitation soon or I'll have to get mad," she said, causing both Kyo and Tohru to turn bright red.

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Kyo and Tohru sat in the living room, both unsure how to act or what to say. Tohru took his hand, threading his fingers through her own. "Kyo, I..." she began, but couldn't say the words so bluntly. 'I almost told him earlier, why am I such a chicken now?' she wondered. Maybe it was hormones, the surprise of Kagura's visit, the quiet emptiness of the house around them... or maybe she just wanted the right time to tell him. But would it ever come?

Kyo kept thinking back to Kagura's last comments. 'Have fun'... 'wedding'... he couldn't just ask Tohru to marry him out of the blue, sitting here on Kazuma's couch. She deserved better than that. Kyo had never truly admitted to himself before that he wanted to marry her. He realized now that he did, that he had since she'd kissed him... no, since before that. He smiled to himself. Since that time on the roof, when she'd brought him onigiri and sat with him until the sun came up. He loved her so much it hurt.

He looked over at Tohru. She looked uncertain, what was she thinking about? He leaned forward and kissed her temple. When she turned her head, he captured her lips. "Stay with me?" He asked softly as he pulled away.

"I can't, I have work tomorrow," Tohru answered. At Kyo's sad look, and because she didn't want to leave his side, she added "You could come to the apartment with me."

"What about Hana?" Kyo asked, worried what electric-girl would do to him if she found out what he'd done to Tohru... the things he still wanted to do to Tohru.

"She won't mind, Yuki's stayed over a few times."

"What? Yuki?"

"Yes, Hana and Yuki are together."

'Yuki and electric-girl? I never knew he was so kinky,' Kyo thought and then something struck him. Maybe that was Hana in the window? He shrugged inwardly. It didn't matter. It wasn't Tohru and beyond that, Kyo didn't care what, or who, Yuki did.

"Well, then, if you're sure it's ok..." Kyo said.

Tohru smiled. "Good. Hurry up and get ready, I'm feeling a little tired. Oh, and can we stop for some ice cream on the way?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Why am I so nervous?' Kyo asked himself while he brushed his teeth at Tohru's apartment. She was in the kitchen eating her ice cream and Hana had left a note saying she'd gone to dinner and wouldn't be back until late. 'I've been alone with Tohru before....' This was different, though. They'd made love and shared a bed earlier, but it hadn't been like this. This was... intended.

He wanted nothing more than to touch Tohru, to hear her moan his name... again, and again, and again... but they both fell asleep, cuddled as much as possible, the minute they laid down. They each felt safe and slept through the night for the first time in months.

* * *

The next chapter will be up ASAP! (I know Kagura didn't mention Kureno with the rest of the zodiac, I'm trying to keep this story anime-based as much as possible and since I think he's rather... solitary, I don't know that he would be mentioned much. I couldn't resist mentioning Haru and Rin, though.)

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) Please let me know of any glaring errors that me or my Master have missed and I'll fix 'em. ;-)


	14. Meetings

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, for her) they belong to Natsuki Takaya.

**A/N**: This chapter went a complete other way than I thought it would. Isn't there some saying 'even the best laid plans...'? Big, huge thanks to **Yuki The Rat** (aka YTR) for her ideas, inspiration, help, and friendship. ::hugs:: And also thanks to **Elf**. ::hugs:: The other thanks, comments, and such I'm going to do differently this time:

**To everyone asking when Kyo will find out:** When I feel it's time, of course! ;-) Don't worry, though! I have a plan for how he will find out and it will be soon, I promise!

**blahblahblah:P** : I don't see this fic ending any time soon! 100 chapters, though... I think I'd be really tired by then! :-)

**frustratedneko**: Uhm... I have to address this cos I've thought there could be all sorts of things people wouldn't like about my story, but I must say that yours was a comment that I never expected. Life is full of surprises. I'm not mad or anything, but... why would Kyo being honest and having wounds mean that he isn't a 22-year-old guy with hormones? I love Kyo because he's honest, too, and see no conflict between that and him wanting to make love to Tohru. "Horndog?" I just don't see it. I mean, in three months they've had sex a whole three times (the first of which was instigated by Tohru). I hardly think that, or wanting to be with the woman he loves, makes him a horndog. One of the best descriptions of Kyo that I ever heard/read was "sex in cargo pants"... he's fiery, passionate, expressive... he loves Tohru and the expression of romantic love is sex. And I'm glad you like it... even with the sex. ;-)

**CrazyInsaneAnimeFanGirl:** ... ::imagines Kyo fainting:: ... LOL!

**Maeko:** Yes, Kureno and Uo are so cute together in the manga... but I shan't give away what I have planned. ;-) We will see who Kagura is in love with... eventually. ::evil laughter::

**Everyone:** ::blushes:: Thanks so much for your comments! You all keep me going! :-)

** Warning****:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

------------

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 14: Meetings

------------

Kyo awoke feeling warm and rested, but with a strange weight on his stomach. He lifted his head, looked down, and smiled when he saw Tohru's sleeping face. She was lying in a very strange position, using his stomach as a pillow. Kyo wondered at how they'd managed to sleep cuddled all night with no transformations. 'Wait, I didn't go to bed naked... I guess the transformations didn't wake me up,' he realized. He searched around as much as he could without waking Tohru and found his pants, but no shirt.

Kyo looked over at the clock, six thirty-seven A.M., wasn't Tohru usually up by six? She had been when they'd lived at Shigure's, and hadn't she mentioned work in the morning? Kyo smiled to himself, he would wake her in the way he loved to be woken up. Action decided, he eased her head off his stomach and searched some more for his shirt, but to no avail. Well, surely he could run across the hall without it.

When Kyo opened the door of Tohru's room he stopped, surprised to see Yuki exiting the bathroom in nothing but boxers, obviously in his morning dead-walking state. "Oh," Kyo said, drawing Yuki's attention his way.

Seeing Kyo half-naked leaving Tohru's room in the morning brought Yuki fully awake. "Baka neko," he said coolly, "fancy meeting you here."

"Kuso nezumi," Kyo began and smirked, an evil glint in his eye. "Don't you look like something the cat dragged in, enjoying yourself?"

"Quite," Yuki replied, deciding to ignore the cat comment. It wouldn't do to wake the girls with their fighting. "So you two, ah, worked everything out? You're not running scared? I'm shocked. You _are_ going to do the honorable thing, aren't you?"

Kyo could hear the threat in Yuki's voice. The honorable thing.... Twice in as many days he'd been told to marry Tohru, why was everyone being so pushy? And why would he run scared? 'Am I missing something?' he asked himself. "Like you're one to talk, and if you have something to say to me, put some clothes on first," Kyo said in disgust and walked past Yuki to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as loud as he dared.

When he got back to Tohru's room, Kyo found his shirt under the bed. 'How did it get way under here?' he wondered as he reached for it. When he pulled the shirt out, it didn't come alone. Kyo looked curiously at the stuffed orange cat as he unhooked its tag from his shirt. 'I guess she really does like the cat,' he thought, 'Is this to remind her of me? Has she been sleeping with it?' The thought of Tohru sleeping with a stuffed orange cat as a Kyo-substitute had him grinning, a foreign feeling welling up inside. Was that... happiness?

------------------------------

In Hana's room, Yuki watched her sleep. 'I'm one to talk?' he thought as he brushed the hair from her face. 'She's so beautiful, is she... she couldn't be...' then he remembered that they hadn't used protection and his eyes widened. 'Am I really as stupid as that cat? Even after I knew that Tohru's pregnant....'

"What's wrong? Your signals are all confused," Hana said sleepily.

'Should I ask her?' he wondered. "Saki, uh, is there anything you need to tell me?"

"Tell you? No, why do you ask?"

"Something Kyo said... could you be pregnant?" Yuki asked, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"No, I've been on the pill for months. Kyo's here?"

Yuki smiled. 'No wonder I love her,' he thought. "Yes, I ran into him in the hall."

"What did he say?" Hana questioned.

"Well... I asked him if he was going to do the honorable and he said 'like you're one to talk'...."

"Hmm..." Hana mused, "Sounds to me like he doesn't know. Don't say anything to him about it, I'll talk to Tohru."

-------------------------------

Even though it made him sick to cook for that damn rat, Kyo decided to make breakfast for all four of them. It was what Tohru would to. Besides, Yuki had probably gone back to sleep and wouldn't be up again until later, so at least they wouldn't have to eat breakfast together. The other's presence in the morning was a torture neither of them had had to endure for years, or wanted to endure again.

Just as Kyo finished cooking, Tohru walked into the kitchen saying "Kyo? Smells good, thank you, but you didn't have to cook, I could have." He noticed that she yawned with the last word and looked at the clock, seven A.M. and she was still yawning?

"You look too tired to cook, and you do it for a living, I wanted to give you a break. Why are you so tired, are you okay?" He walked over and put a hand to her forehead. She felt okay.

"I'm fine. I woke up and... I'm glad you're still here," she said and took his hand.

Kyo rubbed his thumb over her palm and squeezed her hand gently. "I'm not going anywhere. Breakfast will stay warm for a while, hurry and get dressed before that rat wakes up." The pajamas Tohru was wearing weren't immodest or flashy in any way, in fact they were big on her, but still Kyo didn't like the idea of Yuki seeing her in them.

"Yuki's here? He didn't, um, say anything... strange, did he?" she asked with a worried expression. 'Yuki wouldn't just tell him,' Tohru thought, 'but what if he said something thinking Kyo already knew? I want to tell him myself.'

"No more than usual," Kyo laughed softly.

"Okay, I'll go get dressed then," Tohru turned to leave but was stopped when Kyo said "Wait" as he grabbed her shoulder and spun her towards him into a passionate, most welcome kiss.

When he released her lips, Kyo said softly, his voice deeper than usual "I haven't showered yet this morning, either..." and looked her up and down suggestively.

Tohru blushed and began to panic. "B-but Yuki and Hana... I-I mean we couldn't possibly...."

"Sure we could, you think Yuki just sleeps here?" Kyo asked, knowing she would turn the most delicious shade of red. And she did.

"I-I..." Tohru stammered.

"I know she's cute, but don't tease her, Orange Top, it's rude," Hana said as she entered the kitchen, fully dressed in her usual black attire. "Oh, breakfast."

----------------------

Yuki made it in time for breakfast and headed straight for the fridge, taking a glass of milk and drinking it down fast, leaving the carton in the sink.

"Oy, rat, did you just drink the last of the milk?" Kyo called from where he was seated at the table next to Tohru and Hana who were talking about some strange girly stuff he didn't understand.

"So what if I did?" Yuki replied and sat down next to Hana.

"I make you breakfast and you drink my milk? You little fucker!"

"Now who's one to talk?" Yuki said nonchalantly.

The boys argued back and forth, the tension in the room mounting to an almost tangible level. The girls chatted away as if there was nothing strange about enjoying breakfast together while their lovers, who hated each other's guts, were becoming mad enough to kill. Finally, when Kyo was about to throw a punch, Hana said harshly "Enough!"

Yuki and Kyo looked at her, frozen. "Both of you go to the store and get more milk. Yuki, you drank the last so you pay for it. Now out!" Hana ordered, her eyes flashing purple.

When the men were gone, Hana said to Tohru "You haven't told him, have you?"

"No," Tohru answered, ashamed.

"Why?"

"I almost did yesterday, but then Kagura showed up and now... I can't find a way to tell him."

"Your waves are unsettled, are you still worried about his reaction?" Hana asked softly.

"No... Yes... I don't know! I... feel like I'm on some strange rollercoaster."

Hana smiled. "Of course you do, you're pregnant. How are you lately, still nauseous?"

"No, I think that part's over. I feel pretty good. I go to the Sanfujinka again this weekend."

"Good. Tell him, though, okay?"

"I will, I know I have to. And it'll be obvious soon enough."

"Tell him before that!" Hana said just as there was a knock at the door. 'That was fast,' she thought, 'and didn't they take a key?' Tohru started to get up, but Hana put a hand on her arm. "Sit, you look tired. I'll let them in."

"Coming!" Hana called and left to get the door.

-----------------------------

Hana opened the door to find not Yuki and Kyo, but two men she didn't recognize. Both were good-looking, one tall and one short, barely taller than she was. The shorter one was dressed all in black, with black hair and dark eyes. He was very sexy in a dangerous, mysterious way. His haircut reminded Hana of Yuki's, which was odd because she'd always thought it was quite unique. The taller man had reddish-brown hair, a penetrating gaze, and was wearing an expensive looking suit with a silk shirt underneath. The fabric was so rich, Hana wanted to touch it. As she looked at the two men, a strange thought came to her. 'The short one looks like Yuki's brother, and the taller one like Kyo's...' then she realized why, 'They must be Sohmas.'

"You are not Tohru Honda," the shorter man said, disgusted.

"Give the man an award," Hana remarked.

"How dare this little bitch talk to me that way? Kureno, I want her disposed of, now!" The shorter man said to the taller one.

Hana looked up at the taller man in surprise. 'Kureno? Kureno Sohma? Uo's Kureno? If that's who he is...' her eyes shifted to the shorter, dark man... 'then he must be Akito. This can't be good.'

"Is Miss Honda here?" Kureno asked politely, seemingly ignoring the shorter man's little outburst.

"Yes, right this way," Hana said and led them to the kitchen where Tohru was just finishing her breakfast. "Tohru, these two gentlemen are here to see you," Hana said and knew for certain that this must be the dreaded head of the Sohma clan when she saw Tohru's eyes widen in shock and fear. There wasn't much that could garner such a reaction from Tohru.

"Good morning, Tohru Honda. I'm here for my property." Akito said with a vicious grin.

* * *

Don't blame me, it's not my fault! I was going to make this chapter longer, but YTR said this was the perfect place to end it... so I did. Her advice is always very good, and it does make such a lovely ending. Since I don't have to go to work again until Wednesday (and I don't have any classes), the next chapter should be up pretty soon. Plus, I'm looking forward to writing it. :-)

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) Please let me know of any glaring errors that me or my Master have missed and I'll fix 'em. ;-)


	15. Emergency

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. They belong to Natsuki Takaya. (Rather boring this chapter, eh?)

**A/N:** Uhm yeah, I'm too tired and headachy to write a note, so... thanks to YTR for her help, and thanks to everyone for the reviews! And suggestions! :-)

**Warning:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

---------------

"The Journey Home"

Chapter 15: Emergency

---------------

"I can't take this!" Kyo yelled as he paced up and down the emergency room waiting area. He and Yuki had come back from getting milk, a trip that took almost half an hour because of their constant bickering, to find Tohru doubled over in pain and Hana calling for an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, Yuki had forcefully pulled Kyo away so Hana could talk to the paramedics and ride with Tohru to the hospital.

"But _I_ should go with her..." Kyo had started.

"Why? Hana lives with her and probably knows more about... what's wrong than you do."

Kyo was silent a moment before saying, "There's been something wrong?"

"Baka neko," Yuki had said before grabbing Kyo by the shirt at the back of his neck and dragging him off towards the hospital.

"Kyo, please sit down," Hana said. "The pacing is upsetting your waves."

"No, it's calming," he said and continued to pace.

Hana got up to take Kyo's arm and make him sit down, but moved wrong and POOF ended up holding an orange neko instead.

"Jeeze, did anyone see?" Kitty-Kyo asked.

Yuki looked around quickly, "No, no-one saw."

"Let me go, I better wait in the bathroom until I change back," Kyo said and gathered his clothes in his mouth when Hana allowed him to jump down.

"I'll get the door," Yuki offered.

'Great,' Kyo thought, 'as if being a cat isn't humiliating enough, now the rat has to help me... and since when does Hana know about the curse?' Heh. Yuki hadn't been able to keep the secret from her.

"You did that on purpose," Yuki said to Hana when he got back to the waiting area. Of all the things that could describe Hana, clumsy was not one of them. Yuki didn't know if it was her waves or what, but unless she was sleeping, she never transformed him without wanting to. Even then it wasn't often.

Hana smiled, "You know me so well."

"Well, we're alone, what happened?" Yuki asked.

"Akito," Hana said. The one word was enough.

"He called?" Yuki asked.

"No, he showed up, with Kureno. He knows Tohru's pregnant and says the baby is his property, but Yuki, there's more... he thinks it's yours."

"He's not the first one," Yuki remarked, referring to Hana, and her expression grew dangerous. She touched him on the arm, shocking him. He looked into her beautiful, slightly glowing eyes and shivered. "Mm do it again," he said.

"Yuki!" Hana admonished playfully, her cheeks turning ever-so-slightly pink. "I can't believe you! Tohru's rushed to the hospital and you, you're...."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm trying not to think about it. I don't want to think about Akito, what he wants, or what that means for Tohru and the baby... and Kyo. And you're always the first thing on my mind." He said and smiled that dazzling Prince smile of his.

Hana blushed deeper. "I know you don't want to think about it, but Akito is very determined and quite unbalanced. His waves are like none I've ever encountered, including yours and Kyo's. If I met the devil, I would expect waves exactly like Akito Sohma's. I love you, Yuki, but sometimes I wish Tohru had never met any Sohmas."

Yuki took Hana's hand in his. "I know... so do I." He appeared sad for a moment as he looked at their joined hands. "What about you? Do you ever wish you'd never met any Sohmas?"

Hana smiled and turned his face so he'd look at her. "Not for a moment. I can defend myself against someone like Akito, but Tohru... she's too good to understand how bad he really is. She would trust him and give him the benefit of the doubt, not realizing that the devil never keeps his promises."

Yuki squeezed her hand. "I love you. What exactly did he say?"

"That he had come for his property, and then he called her a bitch and a whore, warned her to not associate with 'his Yuki' any longer and said he would be taking the baby because all Sohmas belong to him. Tohru was in no shape to talk and I didn't know if it would be better or worse to tell him it was Kyo, so I kept quiet." A satisfied look came over Hana's face. "Then I gave him a little electric therapy." When Yuki looked worried she added, "He didn't know it was me."

'What about that bastard Kureno, he just let Akito say those things?"

"He didn't try to stop it, but he didn't look happy about it, either."

"Don't trust him, he's nothing more than Akito's henchman and probably just as evil as his master."

"I don't know, Yuki, waves don't lie and his were... maybe a little naïve, confused, and sad, but good."

"Kyo's coming back, let's just make sure Tohru's ok, then we can talk more." Yuki said and Hana agreed.

"Someone should call Hatori," Kyo said as he sat down next to Hana.

"Hana already did, baka, I told her to before we even left the house. She called Tohru's boss, too."

"So where is Hatori, then?"

"He wasn't there, I left a message," Hana said. "What about Shigure? Shouldn't we call him, too?"

"No!" Yuki and Kyo said in unison. The situation was bad enough as-is, without that dog's nonsense.

-------------------------------

The nurses were bothered by Yuki, Kyo, and Hana inquiring after Tohru's condition so often that they assured the trio someone would inform them immediately when anything was known. When a nurse approached them, a normal but tired look on her face, all three breathed a sigh of relief. If it was bad, surely the doctor would have come or something about the nurse would give it away.

"Everything looks fine, but we'll be keeping Miss Honda overnight for observation. Which one of you is -"

"He should go see her," Yuki interrupted and gestured to Kyo. Tohru would want to tell the cat herself.

"Alright, you two can visit when she's moved to a proper room. Follow me, sir." The nurse said and headed through the double doors at one end of the room.

'The rat saying I should go see her?' Kyo wondered, 'Why is he being so nice all of a sudden?' It didn't add up, but there were more important things than that kuso nezumi to think about. Hell, everything was more important than that rat.

The nurse pulled a curtain back and motioned for Kyo to enter saying, "If you need anything, I'll be right down the hall at the nurse's station."

Kyo nodded and closed the curtain before turning to look at Tohru. Upon seeing her, his heart clenched within his chest. She was even beautiful here, sitting in a hospital dress, leaning back against the bed that was adjusted to a seated position. What would he do if he ever lost her? He walked over, sat on the bed next to her, and took her hand. She shifted, moving her thighs to allow him more room, and looked at him, but didn't say a word.

What was it that he'd been thinking just yesterday? It seemed like so long ago. 'Just ask her,' he told himself, 'you want to and it's the only way to know her answer.'

"Tohru, I... um... I... will you marry me?" There, he'd said it.

Her eyes filled with tears. 'Is that a yes?' Kyo thought, 'please let it be a yes.'

"Kyo, you don't have to... I don't want to force you into anything. We'll be fine." She wanted to say yes, but did he know? Was he asking out of duty?

"No-one's forcing me," he said.

"Would you ask without...?"

"Without what?" Kyo wondered and at that moment two things registered. One was something she'd said and the other was the heart monitor. Kyo didn't know much about medicine or anatomy, but he knew his heart didn't beat that fast... and there were no wires attached to Tohru's chest.

"Tohru, why is your heart beating so fast?" Kyo asked, his eyes beginning to go wide.

She looked at the monitor with a small smile. "It's not my heart," she said as she moved his hand to lay flat on her slightly rounded stomach, "it's our baby's."

Kyo looked at his hand and blinked. Then he looked up at her face and blinked again. He remembered yesterday, just before Kagura had barged in, Tohru had been talking nonsense about Kazuma. Well, that made sense now. Kyo moved his hand on her stomach, feeling the shape of it and listening to the steady, quite rapid "b-bump, b-bump, b-bump" coming from the monitor. 'Tohru's pregnant,' he thought, 'with my baby. I got Tohru pregnant. Tohru's having my child... and keeping it. I'm going to be a father.' His eyes filled with wonder as he suddenly leaned forward to kiss her, his hand still on her stomach.

"I think that's the most wonderful sound I've ever heard," he said when he pulled back a moment later, smiling. Then his smile faded. "I'm so sorry, Tohru."

She looked at him, puzzled, "For what?"

"All this time and I didn't know. I should have talked to you right away instead of acting the idiot Yuki's always calling me."

"I'm the one who didn't have the courage to tell you for three months, and it wasn't even my idea to come see you yesterday," she admitted.

Something niggled at the back of Kyo's mind. "Whose idea was it?"

"Kazuma's," she answered and Kyo laughed.

"He just had to mettle. Why that tricky old man, I bet he left just so I'd be alone when you came. Well, I'm glad he did."

"So am I," Tohru said and smiled brightly. Kyo's hand was still on her stomach and he had smiled when he'd found out. 'He wants the baby! And he wants me,' she thought, 'he asked when he didn't even know.'

"Kyo?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't really answer you. I-If the question still stands... I would love nothing more than to be your wife."

Kyo grinned from ear to ear and couldn't help himself, he hugged her and POOF for the second time today found himself on all paws.

Tohru picked up the orange cat and hugged him to her chest. She stroked his head and Kyo, to his immeasurable embarrassment, began to purr. "You're so soft," she whispered to him and smiled, "and I get to hug you this way."

Her fingers on his head and down his back did feel good, and there was definitely something to be said for being smaller, completely surrounded by her warm arms and soft chest.

"Yes," Kyo whispered back, "just don't tell anyone. Especially that damn Shigure, I'd never hear the end of it."

"But Shigure loves to be petted when he's a dog, why would he say anything?" Tohru wondered.

"How do you know that?" Kyo asked as she continued to stroke him and he continued to purr.

"Ano... sometimes when Shigure transforms I pet him. He always asks for more and wags his tail, and Ayame loves to be scratched since snakes have very itchy skin, so you're not the only one who enjoys being petted."

"Who said I enjoy it?" Kyo said angrily. "No more, all right? You're going to be my wife and I won't have you petting other men, whatever form they're in. And, um, thanks."

Tohru smiled and kissed the top of his furry head before letting him go so he could change back.

* * *

No cliffhanger this time, and now Kyo knows. See, I'm not completely evil. ;-)

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) Please let me know of any glaring errors that me or my Master have missed and I'll fix 'em. ;-)


	16. Gathering

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters. They belong to Natsuki Takaya... can I steal Kureno?

**A/N:** So sorry for the ages between updates! To be honest, I was upset (to varying degrees) by some of the reviews for the last chapter, and so I didn't feel much like writing this story for a while. If that makes me seem wimpy or whatever.... It's hard when you write a chapter and put your all into it, and think it's great, and it's just as you want it to be... and it was what the readers had been asking for... and then there's still comments about "you should have done this" or "Kyo should have done that". If I've written, edited, and posted a chapter, then the things that happen in it are how I like it and that's not going to change. This is my story and I will continue to write it how I like it. That said and tiny rant over... I do love getting reviews, even the ones that upset me (after I calm down), and I'm not meaning anything bad to any of my reviewers or anything like that, not at all. I don't think any of the comments that upset me were made with malice, readers were just expressing their opinion, which is always welcome. But I got discouraged anyway, what can you do? Anyone who says writing a story and posting it and having people review is easy to do is either lying or has a hell of a lot thicker skin than I do. And I suppose my skin has been getting thicker from having my story read and reviewed, which is a good thing... I'm sure. I shall try to not get upset. :-) Thanks to my dear friend **YTR** for listening to my ramblings, I now have an evil plan, yes! She really helped get me back into the mood to write Journey Home.

I have been informed by several readers that I am evil and cruel. lol! Well I suppose I am and this chapter is probably no better. Mwha-hahahahaha! Oddly enough, being called evil and cruel is not what upset me. LOL.

I would love to pet Kyo, also! (Oh that could be taken so badly.) Probably why I wrote that scene. ;-)

**CrazyInsaneAnimeFanGirl:** How did Tohru get hurt? She wasn't pushed or hit or anything, she was just under so much stress/fear at seeing Akito and what he said to her that her body just couldn't take it. I don't know medical terms or anything, but I'm sure that can happen to pregnant women... I think... and even if it can't, oh well. It worked for my purposes. Hehehe.

**Crazy-Fruits-Basket-Fan:** The question of Shigure's lover is kind of answered in this chapter... in a way... yeah.......

**qwikitty: **The stuff about Kyo being locked up isn't in the anime, that's true. It's in the manga, which I've read only parts of so I could be wrong... my understanding is that Kyo is to be locked up unless he can beat Yuki. Or, at least, Kyo thinks that if he can beat Yuki, then he won't be locked up. That's what I was going on, anyway. I guess there is a bit of a softeneing in Akito at the end of the anime, but I think in the manga he's remained just as crazy as ever. I think.

That reminds me... I tried to keep this story based off the anime and 'ignore' the manga... but I just couldn't do it. Gomen! I couldn't keep Kureno out of the story cos I love him so much, and there might be other manga stuff also in this chapter and ones to come.

Well enough of my ramblings, here's a bit of a longer chapter for those of you who like that sort of thing. Hehe. ;-)

**Warning:** There may be OOC moments (I'm told I'm doing good with the characters, yay!) so if that bothers you, this might not be the story for you. (Hey, this is fiction, it's my world and I can do what I want with it!) Also, if premarital sex and/or unwed pregnancy bother you, this probably isn't the story for you.

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"The Journey Home"

Chapter 16: Gathering

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"Tohru! Tohru!" A familiar voice called from outside the hospital room a scant second before a young blonde man bounced into the room.

"Oh, Momiji!" Tohru giggled happily as he reached her side and took her hands, showing great restraint in not hugging her. She was, after all, in the hospital, and he liked to think he was older and beyond such childish frivolities. When he was around Tohru, though, he tended to let go of any new-found restraint in favor of his true, bubbly nature

"Tohru, I'm so happy you're ok! When I heard the message on Hatori's answering machine I was so worried!" Momiji exclaimed with increasing volume.

"Shh," Tohru said and motioned to the other side of the bed, "you'll wake him."

It was then that Momiji noticed Kyo. He was in a chair, leaning forward, his head and arms resting on the bed at what looked like a very uncomfortable angle, with Tohru's hand twined in his hair. It wasn't so much the way Kyo was resting on the bed by Tohru's hips, or even the way she was touching him, that cued Momiji in to the relationship between the two, it was... the air... or maybe something in the way Tohru seemed so relaxed and happy.

"Has Ha'ri been here yet?" Momiji asked softly, putting his thoughts about the neko and the onigiri aside.

"No, not yet, but you just missed Yuki and Hana. They were kind enough to go back home and get some things for me," Tohru said.

A puzzled look came over Momiji's face. Where was Ha'ri? It wasn't like him to not be around when a Sohma needed him. 'Oh, but Tohru's not a Sohma...' Momiji thought and looked again to where her hand was resting in Kyo's hair. 'She may not be a Sohma... yet... but I know Ha'ri cares about her and would do whatever he could to help her. So where is he?'

"Are you all right? Have you been sick? Why didn't you tell anyone? What did the doctors say? How long are you going to be here?" Momiji asked all at once.

"I'm fine, everything's ok, they just want to keep me overnight for observation," Tohru answered. "How is your job with Hatori going? You started just last month, right?"

"Yes, and it's wonderful! I'm getting the best training, even though I don't do very much... take messages, make appointments, help out here and there. I think I bother Hatori sometimes, but he says if I can calm down, I'll make an excellent doctor."

"And school?"

"It's hard. I don't know if my grades will be good enough to get into my first choice of Med schools."

"I'm sure you're doing very well!" Tohru said with a bright smile.

They talked for a while about school and work, and then Tohru asked Momiji, "Are you seeing anyone?"

He blushed and said, "Oh, I, uhm... sort of."

"Sort of?"

"We study together, but...."

"You don't know if she likes you?" Tohru asked and he nodded. She looked at Kyo as she said, "Only one way to find out."

Momiji looked up at Tohru and said, "You really think I could? I mean I should? I mean... that it's possible?"

"Of course it's possible that she likes you!"

"Not that..." he lowered his voice, "the curse."

"Oh." Tohru said, and thought for a moment. "You know, Momiji, if you live your whole life afraid of the curse, of what might happen, what are you going to miss out on? Is that the kind of life you want? You've never been worried about the curse around me."

"That's different, you already knew, and you're ok with it."

"And why would she not be?"

"Others aren't like you, you're special," he said.

"Am I?"

"Yes," he admitted with a blush.

"I really don't think I am. Not any more so than some girl out there waiting for you."

Momiji smiled and hoped she was right, but something inside said he'd never find anyone quite like Tohru.

"The young man will have to wait outside while we get you hooked up," an older, gentle-looking nurse said as she walked in, pulling some equipment behind her.

Momiji couldn't tell what it was that the nurse had with her, looked to be some sort of monitor or testing device. He nodded to the nurse and left the room, expecting Kyo to be woken up and similarly asked to leave.

After Momiji had gone, the nurse noticed Kyo. "He'll have to leave, too, Miss," she said.

"It's alright, he's asleep," Tohru said, "and even if he wasn't, I don't think you could get him to leave."

"It's policy, Miss. I can't hook up the fetal monitor with a man present."

"He's the baby's father," Tohru said.

"All the same, he has to leave," the nurse said, standing firm in her strange belief that the sleeping Kyo shouldn't be there.

Tohru had had a long day and didn't like being told who could and couldn't be there for her medical treatment. "Either he stays or you don't hook me up. If anyone says anything, blame it on my hormones," she said with uncharacteristic fire in her eyes.

The nurse gave up and Kyo stirred, but didn't wake while the monitor was being hooked up. Once everything was set and the steady 'b-bump, b-bump, b-bump' of her baby's heart once again filled Tohru's ears, Kyo awoke and the nurse left.

Kyo sat up as he yawned and stretched, remarkably cat-like, before kissing Tohru, not noticing Momiji who had taken one step into the room and stopped, stunned. Tohru kissed him back for a moment, unable to help herself, even with Momiji watching, before gently pushing him away.

"What?" he asked softly, his voice full of love as he shifted to sit on the bed next to her, his hand half way to resting on her stomach when he noticed her looking pointedly toward the doorway. He froze and turned, quite surprised to see Momiji. He had expected the nurse he'd seen leaving, Yuki, Hana, or maybe Hatori.

"What are you doing here, runt?" Kyo asked and changed his hand's path to rest on the other side of Tohru, leaning possessively over her.

Momiji looked from Kyo, to Tohru, to what he now saw to be a fetal monitor, and then back to Tohru. Tohru's pregnant? From what he'd noticed earlier, what he'd just seen, and the way the neko was now hovering over Tohru, Kyo must be the father. That would explain why he'd been allowed to stay in the room.

Momiji didn't know what to say. Should he congratulate them? It seemed the right thing to do, but they weren't married (as far as he knew) and Akito... it was going to be bad, very, very bad. Momiji had made up his mind to not worry and be happy for them when he heard Hatori's voice from behind him.

"Well, well, Aya, looks like you win."

Momiji turned around in time to see Ayame grin devilishly. "You know I would never bet against my dear little brother unless I knew it was a sure thing."

"Who are you calling a 'sure thing'?" Kyo asked, annoyed. Great, why did Hatori have to bring Ayame with him?

"Aya, you cheat!" Shigure said, appearing from behind Ayame and pushing everyone farther into the room. "You knew, somehow you knew! How could you know and leave me, your one true love, in suspense?" Shigure said, taking the familiar, feigned pose of a wounded dog. "That's it, it's over, I'm breaking up with you!" he whined.

Ayame rushed to Shigure's side and put his arm around his dear friend's shoulder. "Gure, you know I love you, but some things are sacred and not mine to tell."

"Just to profit from," Hatori remarked.

It was Ayame's turn to look wounded. "Ne, Gure, you don't really mind losing, do you?"

A mischievous spark lit in Shigure's eye. "I suppose not. I shall live with my punishment, you're forgiven." With that, they winked at each other and kissed, very brief and very chaste, on the lips.

"You two make me sick," another familiar voice said from behind the now-gathering crowd in Tohru's small hospital room.

"Hiro!" Kyo yelled and jumped up, "Damn it, this isn't a convention! Tohru needs rest and quiet!"

"You're the one being loud with all your yelling, neko," Hiro said as he pushed his way through his cousins, Kisa in tow.

"Sissy!" Kisa called out as she rushed to the side of the bed and threw her arms around Tohru, who held the seventeen year old girl tight.

"Kisa!" Tohru exclaimed, "You look so much older! And you too, Hiro."

"You saw me six months ago, I can't look that much older," Kisa replied and Hiro snorted.

"My, my, Hiro, going to the same school as Kisa for three years still hasn't calmed you down?" Shigure said, and then moved over to the boy to whisper in his ear suggestively, "Or are there other, more adult reasons for your frustration?"

"Shut up," Hiro said as if scolding a puppy and pushed Shigure away from him, but the blush forming on the youth's cheeks was not missed and Shigure chuckled.

Hatori came up behind Shigure and said softly, "Don't tease him, Gure, unless you want my two cents about your little plaything."

Shigure, his face stern, looked back at Hatori. "It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" Hatori retorted. "She was vulnerable and you took advantage, just like you've always done."

Shigure had the decency to look a little ashamed. "Well, okay, I did, but...."

"But?"

"But it's not like that anymore, I... I care about her," Shigure admitted so quietly that Hatori wasn't sure he'd heard right. The dog quickly turned back to his normal self. "Besides, it's not like she's so innocent. She came to me, you know, wanted to learn seduction techniques. Who am I to complain if I taught her too well and she used them on me?"

"Did she really?" Hatori asked, not believing it for a second.

"Well... who could have resisted doing little seduction of their own when faced with such a luscious young girl?" Shigure said and then quickly added, "Except for you, of course, my stoic doctor."

"Mm-hmm, just be careful, Shigure. What would you do if..." Hatori said and gestured with his chin to where Tohru was sitting in the hospital bed, surrounded by Kisa, Hiro, Momiji, Haru, and a yelling Kyo, telling them all to give her some space, damn it! Wait... when did Haru get here? Hatori looked around the room, and where is Aya?

"When did Haru get here?" Shigure said, completely forgetting Hatori's question (on purpose) and echoing the dragon's thoughts.

"I don't know," Hatori said. "Go find Aya while I clear the room and examine Tohru."

"Oh, I'm dismissed so easily!" Shigure said in his most annoying voice, but left the room obediently while muttering to himself, "Now, Aya, where have you slithered off to?"

"All right, everyone out," Hatori instructed as he walked up to the bed. "I need to examine the patient."

"Did you know about this, Hatori?" Haru asked.

"As her doctor, you know I can't answer that. Wait outside, I won't be long."

Haru nodded and left, but not before giving Kyo a harsh look. Momiji followed after him, waving at Tohru from the door. Kisa threw her arms around Tohru again, saying "I'm so happy for you, Sissy!" Hiro waited for Kisa, all the while looking at Kyo with what Hatori thought must be pure jealousy.

After the two young Sohmas left, Hatori said to Kyo, "You're taking responsibility?" Kyo just glared at him. That was a yes. "Good, now wait outside with the others."

"I don't take orders from you," Kyo said.

"You do when I'm acting as the Sohma doctor."

"Like hell, I've never been a real Sohma anyway. I'm staying."

Hatori looked to Tohru in question. "It's okay with me," she said.

"Very well then," Hatori conceded and set about looking over the chart and asking his questions.

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When Yuki and Hana arrived back at the hospital after going to the apartment for some things for Tohru, they were surprised to find most of the juunishi and Uo in the waiting room on Tohru's floor.

"What are you all doing here?" Yuki asked.

"We heard Tohru was sick, so we came to make sure she's okay." Haru answered and then asked softly, "Uh, Yuki... do-do you know?" Haru had been surprised by Tohru's pregnancy, but even more so by the fact that it's Kyo's baby and not Yuki's. Like much of the family, Haru had always thought Tohru would fall in love with Yuki. How could anyone not? Yuki had even been Haru's first love, after all.

"Yes, I've known for a while," Yuki said.

"And you're okay?"

"Of course he is! My darling little brother has been in love with another for some time now," Aya chimed in.

Yuki turned at the sound of his brother's voice. "How... how did you know that?"

Aya just smiled and shrugged prettily before turning to Hana. "Tohru's friend Hana, isn't it? I'm Yuki's brother Ayame... have we met before? Oh I have such a poor memory, but you shall have the best brother-in-law ever!"

"AY-A-ME!" Yuki yelled, his voice filled with rage and his face bright red, whether from rage or embarrassment no-one was certain.

Hana put a restraining hand on Yuki's arm, "Don't hurt him."

"Why? We're in a hospital, he can get treatment," Yuki said coldly but calmed down all the same. Aya just smiled.

"Why is everyone out here?" Hana asked.

"That Hatori said we're too much at once and can only see her two at a time. Aside from Orange-Top, that is, he won't leave her side," Uo answered.

Hana smiled. "I hadn't thought he would, once he knew."

"I'm hungry, come get lunch with me," Uo said and pulled Hana off toward the elevators.

"Who's with Tohru now?" Yuki asked.

"Kagura and Ritsu, and Shigure and Ha'ri are down in the cafeteria," Momiji answered.

"That's all but two of us, what a gathering," Yuki remarked. "Rin didn't come?"

"She couldn't get away," Haru answered, "And that bastard Kureno better not show up."

"Kureno isn't a bastard," Kisa said quietly.

"How can you say that, Kisa? After all he does for Akito? After he watched Akito beat you... twice... and did nothing?" Haru asked.

"He-he's always been nice to me," Kisa answered. She noticed Hiro looking at the floor and knew he was thinking that he hadn't done anything to help her either, so she took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked up at her and she smiled at him. 'It's okay' she mouthed and he nodded once.

To Hiro, though, it didn't feel okay. It would never feel okay, not until he could protect Kisa and stand up to Akito. For five years he'd been trying to get the courage, but somehow... it never came. He felt like such a wimp, how could he ever ask Kisa to love someone like him? Five years and still such a child! Someday, though, isn't that what Tohru had said? Someday he would be a man and fight for the one he loves. He just wished that day could be now.

Hiro looked over at her and saw that she was talking to Haru and Momiji. That ox... there had been a time Hiro'd thought he would lose Kisa to that two-toned freak, but then Haru had gotten back together with Rin and Hiro had let out a great sigh of relief. Now, though, that rabbit was tutoring her and Hiro couldn't stand it.

'Why can't I tutor her? I'm good in English!' Hiro had asked only to be told that Momiji was a college student, and going to be a doctor, so that made him more qualified. True as that may be, Hiro knew the real reason was that Akito forbade it. Anything that would have him and Kisa around each other too much, and especially alone together, was forbidden... it had taken all of Shigure's considerable influence with Akito for Hiro and Kisa to be allowed to attend the same high school.

Asking Shigure for his help had been painful enough, and now the damn dog mentioned it whenever possible. Hiro fumed. And then Shigure goes and insinuates... he insinuates.... Hiro felt the soft skin of Kisa's hand on his and sighed. Okay, so maybe the dog had a point there. It's only normal, isn't it? Hiro wondered, but wasn't about to ask any of his cousins. No way!

"Are you okay, Hiro?" Kisa's soft voice asked.

He looked into her warm eyes and got lost for a moment. She'd asked him something... "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

She looked at him a moment as if she didn't believe him before turning back to her conversation with Momiji and Haru. Her mind just wasn't in it anymore, though. Hiro... why did he always try to be so tough? Couldn't he see that she liked him just as he is? Well, not that she'd ever had the courage to tell him that. Sissy had obviously had the courage to tell Kyo. They'd probably be getting married... it had worked out okay for her. 'Maybe I should just tell him' Kisa thought. There had been times, more and more of them lately, when she'd thought Hiro would kiss her, but he never did. Was she wrong about those times? If she wasn't wrong, and he did want to kiss her, that meant he liked her _that way_, right? So why did he always turn away as if burned?

A girl's first kiss is a special thing, a once in a lifetime event, and Kisa wanted very much for hers to be with Hiro. Maybe it was naughty of her, but she'd been waiting... it crossed her mind at least a little every time she was around him. She had decided that it must be Akito, that's why Hiro always kept his distance... Akito had gotten between them before and he was doing it again. Even going to the same school, seeing Hiro every day, Akito was always there like some phantom menace. Kisa knew Akito wasn't really there, though, he wasn't a ghost or a phantom with the ability to see every thing at every time. If no-one told him, he would never know, and she sure wouldn't tell him.

Kisa gave up all pretense of talking to Haru and Momiji and just sat there, holding Hiro's hand and glancing at him now and then, lost in her thoughts. It's not like she wanted... more... something they could definitely get into trouble for, something they could prove. She wasn't asking for a declaration of love, an engagement, or even a date... she just wanted one little kiss. If Akito got his way and they were separated, and she was forced to marry someone else or live her days alone, at least she would have the memory of her first kiss with Hiro. And no-one need ever know.

Maybe it was all a dream, though, maybe she was imagining things that she wanted and not seeing what was really there. Maybe he didn't like her _ that way_. After all, she wasn't wise like Sissy, strong like Kagura, or sexy like Rin. She was just 'cute little Kisa'.

"What has those two looking so depressed?" Shigure asked Hatori, indicating Kisa and Hiro, as they arrived back in the waiting room.

"Don't you remember being a teenager, Shigure?" Hatori asked.

"I try not to," Shigure answered.

"With how you were, that's no wonder," Hatori said.

"Oh, but Gure, don't you remember the two of us when we were young?"

"Yes, of course Aya, I've no reason to block my one true love from my mind!" The two ran to each other in slow motion, arms open wide, then grabbed hands and laughed.

Kagura and Ritsu appeared from the direction of Tohru's room just as Ayame and Shigure started their little show, and Hatori noticed the way Kagura's eyes followed his two wayward cousins.

"I'm going to go see her now," Yuki said and stood up.

"I'm coming, too," Haru said as he followed Yuki down the hall.

----------------------------------------------

"How could you not tell me, Hana?" Uo said the moment the elevator closed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't tell anyone."

"Are you really in love with The Prince?"

"I am," Hana said and after a moment Uo laughed.

"You owe me," Uo said. "All three of us... well, I suppose with a group of cousins as hot and different as the Sohmas, it was bound to happen, wasn't it? I just never thought it would be you and The Prince. I always thought Shigure was more your type or maybe Hatori... you know, older and... capable."

"What makes you think Yuki's not capable?" Hana asked with a wink and a laugh, and then sobered quickly. "I met him this morning," she said softly, knowing no more specificity was needed and hoping the mention of Kureno didn't cause Uo any pain.

Uo held her breath for a moment before saying, "Oh? How was he?"

"He looked well... he's as good-looking as any of his cousins, that's for sure." Knowing Uo would want to know, and deserved to know, Hana continued without having to be asked. "He showed up with the head of the family, Akito. Kureno was polite and I don't think he's a bad guy, Uo, but I don't know why he puts up with Akito. From his waves, it seemed Kureno didn't like being there, doesn't like the things Akito does. Akito... he's scary... it was because of him that Tohru got so upset and ended up here. The minute he left, she doubled over in pain and fell to the floor. It was horrible."

"We have to keep her away from him," Uo said.

"Yes, but how?" Hana asked and then smiled. "I zapped him a little. It was fun."

"Hana! No beating up on people without me, remember? You don't get to have all the fun."

"I couldn't resist, he was asking for it."

"You didn't zap Kureno, did you?"

"No, of course not... but I thought about it, briefly, for what he did to you," Hana said.

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor to reveal a familiar man standing directly in front of them.

"Speak of the devil," Uo said as she looked into the eyes of Kureno.

* * *

That many characters at once is tiring! I'm not too sure on Kisa's age, best I could figure she was in 7th grade when Tohru was in 11th, which would make Kisa now in 12th grade in this story, and seventeen. I'm also not sure about Hiro's age compared to Kisa's, so I'm just taking my liberty to make them the same age in this story. Or maybe he flunked or was promoted a grade or something. I also have no idea on the policies in Japanese hospitals about fetal monitors, but hell, it works for my story, so I don't care. ;-)

The next update may not be for a while again, but for different reasons. I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth (along with a tiny shaving of my jaw bone, wonder if I'll miss it?) surgically removed this Wednesday (ouch) so I'll be on pretty hefty pain killers for at least a week after that, I'm told, so I probably won't feel up to writing (and I'm scared to know what would be written while I'm drugged, lol). Then at the end of this month, beginning of next, I'll be away for over two and a half weeks (YAY!). I will have access to a computer and the internet and will try to write at my friend's house (she reads the story and may want an update, haha), and I'll try to get a chapter up after I'm off the drugs and before I leave, but I'm just not sure how everything will work out. Gomen!!

I like the way one author put it, I hope s/he doesn't mind if I quote "if you've come this far you've obviously read, so please review". I will add, though, please be kind since this is my first fan fiction and I'm very sensitive. Bad reviews... "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!" (Toy Story... never mind, I'm crazy.) Please let me know of any glaring errors that me or my Master have missed and I'll fix 'em. ;-)


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